Adobe Stocks slammed after their announcement to forgo mobile flash development

[=X=]

Adobe has received blunt criticism from a former executive and seen its market cap drop 8% after they announced the end of development of the mobile version of Flash Player. While much of the furor since the announcement has centered on Apple’s choice to forgo Flash – and Android and RIM’s choice to embrace it – these new revelations suggest that Adobe simply failed to realize the importance of touchscreen smartphones in time. (more...)

Personally I think their shift to focus on HTML5 and other Adobe Apps is a good decision. But much like HP CEO I think Adobe had made this decision without truly understanding it's clientele. Abandoning Flash development right now is not a good decision and the stocks prices does reflect the industry opinion with regard to that decision.

[Hellmark]

Well, I am not entirely shocked by this, but it is very boneheaded.

Flash's mobile SDK was always years behind. The last one released was based on Flash 9.

[RainingLemur]

I figured it was only a matter of time before Adobe pulled the plug on mobile flash. I'm not too surprised at the drop in stock after that announcement, but somewhat shocked at how much they dipped.

[HansTWN]

Looks like Steve Job finished his vendetta against Adobe from the grave. And mobile device users are the losers. Then again, flash is working good enough for me as it is, since I only use it to watch videos.

It is sad how we users of non Apple devices have to pay the price for so many of Apple's decisions (no exchangeable batteries, no ports, no expansion slots, to name just a few). Let us hope that this will change now that Steve's gone.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Looks like Steve Job finished his vendetta against Adobe from the grave. And mobile device users are the losers. Then again, flash is working good enough for me as it is, since I only use it to watch videos.

It is sad how we users of non Apple devices have to pay the price for so many of Apple's decisions (no exchangeable batteries, no ports, no expansion slots, to name just a few). Let us hope that this will change now that Steve's gone.

Apple's decisions aren't limiting any other company from going their own way, or any consumers from buying products with exchangeable batteries, ports, expansion ports, to name just a few.

Maybe stop blaming one company for not giving you everything you think you deserve, and start encouraging other companies to meet your needs. Whining about Apple constantly just seems petty.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by kjk

Apple's decisions aren't limiting any other company from going their own way, or any consumers from buying products with exchangeable batteries, ports, expansion ports, to name just a few.

Of course not, those that mindlessly ape Apple's designs are just as much to blame. But it is Apple who started this race to the bottom (meaning removing valuable features). This isn't whining, this is trying to do something about it by speaking up about it in a public forum, exactly what you are advising me to do.

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Of course not, those that mindlessly ape Apple's designs are just as much to blame. But it is Apple who started this race to the bottom (meaning removing valuable features). This isn't whining, this is trying to do something about it by speaking up about it in a public forum, exactly what you are advising me to do.

What Apple did really was mainstream the smartphone. Since then these devices have been shifting away from the techie crowd, dropping features which the majority of consumers will never use. For instance they never swap their batteries.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Dylrob

What Apple did really was mainstream the smartphone. Since then these devices have been shifting away from the techie crowd, dropping features which the majority of consumers will never use. For instance they never swap their batteries.

Swapping batteries is a "techie thing"? So everybody who leaves early in the morning and gets back home late at night and occasionally has some anxious moments before they get back to the charger when he/she has used to the phone's various functions heavily, is a techie? (happens in our family with iPhone3G, iphone 4 and Android phones). Or only techies forget to charge the phone overnight on occasion?

This is a very clear case where Apple made some design choices to reduce manufacturing costs which clearly reduces the functionality of the phone for every user. And they get away with it, which is fine for the Apple crowd.

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Swapping batteries is a "techie thing"?

Well it is something which relatively few people ever do. Especially among the less tech savvy consumers.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Dylrob

Well it is something which relatively few people ever do. Especially among the less tech savvy consumers.

I think a more accurate statement would be that the average user has been "trained" by phone sellers to think of batteries as something that can't be exchanged. For the benefit of manufacturers, not of phone users. If you look back only 5-6 years, I remember every single cell phone user I know carried a backup battery. Even those whose phones could go for a week on a charge.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Of course not, those that mindlessly ape Apple's designs are just as much to blame. But it is Apple who started this race to the bottom (meaning removing valuable features).

Originally Posted by HansTWN

It is sad how we users of non Apple devices have to pay the price for so many of Apple's decisions (no exchangeable batteries, no ports, no expansion slots, to name just a few).

The fact you feel that Apple's products, and any company that is "aping them" are somehow to blame for making you, as a non-Apple product user, "pay the price", whatever that is, is what is sad.

Companies like Amazon, B&N (with the Nook Color & Tablet) and Nokia (with their gorgeous Win Phone 7 Lumia) are not "mindlessly aping" Apple by not providing removable batteries, ports, or slots -they are making individual design decisions for their own products-that happen to be design decisions you don't agree with.

I don't even see how "we users of non-Apple devices" have to pay any price for Apple's decisions.

Android, RIM & MS combined make up the majority of smartphones sold today, and the majority of Android, RIM & MS phones offer removable batteries and/or storage. Motorola's new RAZR will not have a removable battery; Samsung's new Nexus Prime will. Nokia's Win Phone 7 Lumia won't have a removable battery or additional storage, HTC's Win Phone 7 Mozart 7 does. RIM's Blackberries all come with both.

This is a very clear case where Apple made some design choices to reduce manufacturing costs which clearly reduces the functionality of the phone for every user. And they get away with it, which is fine for the Apple crowd.

No one is "getting away" with anything, and it's not just the "Apple crowd" that is fine with it.

In phones, Apple made some design choices to go with non-replaceable batteries, similar to what Motorola just did with their new RAZR, HTC did with their Radar 4G, Nokia did with their new Lumia etc.
In tablets, Apple made some design choices to go with non-replaceable batteries, as did HTC, Motorola, Samsung, HP, and RIM.
In e-Readers, Sony made some design choices to go with non-replaceable batteries, as did Amazon, B&N, and Kobo.

Apple users, Amazon users, B&N users, Motorola users, Nokia users, HTC users; they all understand the issues and tradeoffs with non-removable batteries before they buy (or don't buy) their products. This isn't about something being "fine" with just the "Apple crowd"-there are other crowds who seem fine with it as well. It isn't some conspiracy or dirty little secret-it is part of the whole series of benefits/ tradeoffs that every company and every product goes through.


And as far as removable storage is concerned-the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet are great examples of two smart companies taking opposite approaches to that very issue. It has spurred spirited debate here on MR. And I'm sure if users make it clear (with their dollars) which approach is appropriate for that market, the companies will respond accordingly.

And hopefully no one is going to blame Apple for whichever approach comes out on top. But I'm not betting on it. :P

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Looks like Steve Job finished his vendetta against Adobe from the grave. And mobile device users are the losers. Then again, flash is working good enough for me as it is, since I only use it to watch videos.

Why do you believe that HTML5 is going to work any worse for you than Flash does? Surely it's better to use an open standard than a proprietary technology such as Flash, is it not?

ie, what are you going to lose by playing your videos through HTML5 rather than Flash?

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Why do you believe that HTML5 is going to work any worse for you than Flash does? Surely it's better to use an open standard than a proprietary technology such as Flash, is it not?

ie, what are you going to lose by playing your videos through HTML5 rather than Flash?

It is not a matter of what is better -- at the moment I still need flash for many of the websites I visit. And it will be years before they have all switched.

[HansTWN]

Kjk, would you be so kind as to name one single advantage that a battery that is not user-replaceable has for a user? It is just the manufacturers who take the easy way out for design and manufacturing, the customer pays through his/her nose when it has to be replaced, and has to deal with shorter battery life. And it would not be difficult to modify any phone/tablet on the market to have a battery that could be exchanged. The same device, but with a battery that you can change yourself --- can you seriously tell me that that wouldn't always be better? As you correctly have pointed out, not all others have joined in. But the virus has already spread, limiting choice for us, and hampering some very nice devices, like the Nokia, you have mentioned. Besides, the battery is just one example.

But we, as consumers, have been trained to accept less and even convinced ourselves that we don't need those things. Functionality is being taken away (but usually the price is not being reduced), and everybody smiles, bends over and says "please give another one". We consumers are asking to be taken for a ride, and yes, other device manufacturers have joined the party, but they didn't start this nonsense. The power of marketing.

[covfam]

What i hate about these rabid anti apple fanboys is the idiotic blame for everything being apples.

Its not apples fault that Samsung emulates alot of thier features and designs. its all Samsungs fault for not come up with something that transcends apples design... its Samsungs fault that they dont market better than apple.

Asus Transformer is the #1 selling android tablet in north america wich is not a lot but the reason why they sell better than all the other ipad clones is because thier tablet and dock are a 180 from apple design and they put out a very good stable device.

Most other manufacturers were too much in a hurry to sell devices they played me too and failed (samsung included) looking at samsungs 2nd generation of tablets they are even more refined ipad me too,thats samsungs fault.
Look at asus transformer 2 prime, its an evolution of the origional transformer its not an ipad2 clone. so you see its samsungs fault they chose the apple me too train. asus did not and while not selling as much as apple they are profitable and building a good strong loyal customer base.