Microsoft joins Apple on video standards

Microsoft echoes Apple: 'future of the Web is HTML5'

Excerpt:

Dean Hachamovitch, Microsoft’s General Manager of Internet Explorer, cut to the chase rather quickly, by stating “the future of the Web is HTML5.” He also said that Microsoft has been “deeply engaged” in the HTML5 process with the W3C, the standards body that drafts the specifications for how HTML5 should work. The company’s Internet Explorer 9, now in beta for Windows users, features HTML5 support. Hachamovitch says that while the W3C does not specify a video format for video embedded in HTML5 sites, Microsoft has joined Apple in supporting H.264, and H.264 alone.

In a potential move to soften the blow to an already upset Adobe, Hachamovitch does end his piece with an acknowledgement that “despite [some] issues, Flash remains an important part of delivering a good consumer experience on today’s web.”

Of course, with the rise of the portable devices that don’t support Flash—and especially the popularity of the iPhone and iPad—major publishers and content providers have quickly accelerated the adoption of HTML5 and H.264 to provide Flash-less video delivery. Or, in other words, while Flash may be the Web technology of today, don't think it will necessarily by the Web technology of tomorrow.

Comment: H.264

Steve Jobs on Flash

Jobs Attacks Flash As Unfit for iPhone

Excerpts:

"Flash was created during the PC era—for PCs and mice," said Mr. Jobs in the note published Thursday. "The mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open Web standards—all areas where Flash falls short."

...

Some market watchers took issue with the points raised in Mr. Jobs' essay Thursday. "I think he's a real good spin doctor," said Jeffrey Hammond, an analyst at Forrester Research. Yes, Flash is targeted by hackers, but that's because the technology is so common, he said.

Other points raised by Mr. Jobs are just wrong, Mr. Hammond said. HTML5 is a promising technology, but "not ready for prime time yet," and Flash is as close to open as a proprietary technology can be. It's Apple, Mr. Hammond argued, that has the closed system, including the right to block any app from its store.

Dave Wolf, vice president of strategy at Cynergy Systems Inc., a Washington, D.C., design firm, calls Apple's no-Flash policy "a pain." Mr. Wolf had planned to build mobile apps for clients using the new Adobe software; the apps cost upwards of $40,000 a piece, meaning that without such a tool most customers can only afford to build apps for one device. They almost always choose the iPhone, said Mr. Wolf.

Full Essay: Thoughts on Flash

Comments: I am not a big fan of Flash or Acrobat Reader. They are constantly under hacker attack. I've never had my Mac crash with Flash. One wonders if Jobs has an agenda here! Thoughts?