20100429

iPad and Flash

I finally got my own iPad this week, and I must admit that I'm pretty happy with it. But not overwhelmed. There is one thing that really sucks, though: the lack of Adobe Flash support. In my "everyday life" - while following links from Google Reader and Twitter - I end up not being able to view content like 33% of the time just because the iPad doesn't support Flash. The same as with the iPhone, that is. But somehow I have a hard time accepting that on a device as physically large as the iPad.

The result? Already today I was eating lunch with my MacBook Pro instead of using my brand new iPad.

Proactively answering my then unasked question, Steve Jobs published "Thoughts on Flash" today. And his reality distortion field is strong - I agree with Steve after reading it. Hopefully Apple's decision means that most video content on the web will work with the iPhone and iPad pretty soon (because the video feeds from most of the companies that Steve is mentioning are NOT working seamlessly from Safari in iPhone OS).

But here's a thought: Meanwhile, couldn't I secretly get access to a beta version of Flash for the iPad? Please? I will accept the downside it will have on my battery life, and I won't tell anyone. I promise.