Adobe CEO Declares Anti-Flash Smack Talk Dead, Thinks Android Will Soon Overtake iPad
by Joe White
June 3, 2011
Speaking with Walt Mossberg at All Things Digital's D9 event, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen stated that Adobe and Apple's "war with words" has eventually ceased, and that he expects Android to overtake the iPad very soon.
While the iPad currently assumes the tablet throne, Narayen thinks that Google Android will soon steal the crown. This happened in the smart phone industry, and Adobe's CEO believes that Android tablets - which, of course, run Flash - will soon overtake Apple's "magical and revolutionary" iPad. As reported by All Things Digital:
“What you saw with smartphones hitting an inflection point with Android, you’ll see it again with tablets,” he said. He also named both HP and RIM as two companies that will gain traction in the enterprise. Both of those platforms also support Flash. “There will be another 20 tablets that will come by the end of the year that will push the industry in different directions,” he said.However, this didn't wash with Walt. He swiftly reminded the Adobe CEO that Flash "struggles" to cope on Android tablets, stating: "I have yet to test a single one where Flash tests really well. I'm sorry, but it's true." Following this, Narayen reminded Mossberg of RIM's PlayBook tablet, which handles Flash relatively well. Mossberg then reminded Narayen that the PlayBook doesn't run Android. Ouch. Fortunately, there's good news - namely, Apple and Adobe have put their differences aside, and are no longer exchanging cutting remarks regarding the status of Flash on iOS devices. This is sensible: It's never, ever going to happen - and so there's little point in bickering over it. Instead, Adobe is looking ahead to the emerging future of HTML5, and is "actively contributing" to its development, according to Narayen. All in all an interesting interview, if you ask me. You can check it out for yourself by heading over to All Things Digital's website, and be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments. [via All Things Digital and Engadget]