Now, a week later Mike Chambers, Manager of the Adobe flash platform, posts on his blog that Adobe will stop iPhone support in future versions in Flash CS, and the guys over at Unity post on their blog that the future seems uncertain for the Unity framework (possibly the best 3D framework for the iPhone).

In various blog posts around, there’s a lot of speculation on why Apple suddenly changed the terms. Even one guy claims the Steve Jobs replied his email.

But one thing stands in the clear. Apple wants the iPhone platform for themselves. And I’m pretty sure they will get it like that. All by themselves. Alone.

Still today, no companies have created an actual business critical mobile application. And the motivation for doing so has weakened dramatically, now the cross platform paradigm has died (one application for all mobile phones). This leaves the Apple app store for small silly games and whatever you can create as a developer for kicks and fun. But it leaves no room for the enterprise that wants to build a business on mobile application technology.

So when I, as a consultant have to guide our clients in how to leverage on mobile platforms, I have to say where the money in best spend, and with a framework where your needs can grow and your business can expand. And Apple just eliminated themselves from that position.

So who is gaining from this quest? Well it’s not going to be Apple in the long term. Of that I’m certain. Adobe has no devices to sell, even though they might have the best framework in AIR 2.0. That leaves Google and Android as the only player with the strength and weight to lead the way for the ecosystem. So as long as Google does not mess it up like Apple did, it’s clear that the Android platform has the best odds and is fittest for surviving as the first choice platform for the ecosystem. Apple seems to have forgotten that choosing a “starting platform“ from where you base application is originated, isn’t hardly a business decision for a CEO. This decision is much more likely to happen within the team of developers and is driven by leaders of the ecosystem. Nobody beats the ecosystem.

For tiden ruller den episke storfilm “Clash of the Titans” over biograflærrederne. Men man behøver ikke gå i biografen for at blive vidne til en kamp mellem giganter af nærmest lignende proportioner. Når globale kæmper som Apple, Google og Microsoft med flere nærmest dagligt går i kødet på hinanden om det digitale verdensherredømme, er det en kamp, der foregår på mange niveauer og på en række forskellige kamppladser.

En af disse kamppladser er det lukrative og eksplosivt voksende marked for smartphones og mobil marketing. Og den seneste udvikling i denne version af giganternes kamp udspiller sig lige nu på baggrund af Apples nyligt proklamerede lancering af deres version 4.0 af styresystemet til iPhone. En stor opdatering til den populære mobiltelefon, der åbner op for bl.a. multitasking og en række andre nye funktioner. Så langt så godt.

Men en meget interessant finte i Apple’s opdatering, som måske af nogen synes lille, men for andre tangerer til årets billede af liden tue, der vælter stort læs, er den lille, men ikke ubetydelige ændring, Apple har foretaget i sin licensaftale. En ændring, der betyder, at iPhone applikationer fremover kun må udvikles direkte til Apple’s egne iPhone API’er!

Og hvad så, kunne man spørge? Ja, én mulig konsekvens af dette lille juridiske – men tro mig helt igennem kalkulerede – snuptag fra Apple kan betyde, at det længe ventede gennembrud for mobil marketing endnu engang bliver udskudt.

Og hvorfor det? Primært fordi, en væsentlig grund til at udvikling til mobiltelefoner hidtil har været tricky er, at man har været nødt til at udvikle applikationer specifikt til næsten hver mobiltelefon på markedet. Tidskrævende, dyrt og usmart. Det har afholdt annoncører fra for alvor at kaste sig ind i udnyttelse af mobil marketing.

Derfor har en række softwarevirksomheder og udviklere verden over udviklet værktøjer, der giver mulighed for at udvikle kun én applikation, som så kan fungere på flere mobile platforme. Et udtryk for, hvordan moderne, digitale softwareøkosystemer virker og er til gavn for alle parter, både udviklere, annoncører, slutbrugere, giganterne selv og dermed også for verdensfreden.

Så mens hele udvikler-økosystemet har ventet på, at udvikling til mobile enheder fremover vil blive båret af samme præmis om frihed og åben adgang, som har drevet webudvikling og internettet til hvad det er i dag, så mener Apple altså noget andet. Det betyder f.eks., at iPhonen fortsat ikke vil understøtte Flash, som en af de øvrige giganter Adobe står bag.

Det kan synes som en farlig vej, Apple er slået ind på. Folkene i Cupertino, C.A. er med Steve Jobs i spidsen og deres række af succesfulde produktlanceringer gennem årene helt sikkert meget bevidste om egne evner. Måske endda grænsende til det arrogante. Men de er helt sikkert ikke dumme.

Min pointe er, at netop som vi står over for et længe ventet gennembrud for mobil markedsføring, så kunne jeg godt have undværet Apple’s tiltag, som ikke synes at gøre det hverken mindre tidskrævende eller billigere at udvikle mobile applikationer.

Og med den harme, som Apple har skabt langt ind i det globale udvikler-miljø, kan Apple være ved at dræbe det selvsamme økosystem, som de selv – uagtet deres størrelse – er dybt afhængige af. Og det synes jeg er svært uheldigt for alle parter.

Perseus, der spiller hovedrollen i “Clash of the Titans”, er nok søn af guden Zeus, men er ikke udødelig. Så selvom Steve Jobs og Co. for nogle tangerer gudestatus, så kunne en tur i biffen måske ikke skade.

Yesterday Apple launched the 4.0 release of their operating system for for the iPhone.
A great update to the popular mobile phone enabling multitasking and other new features.
However, nobody seemed to notice the small, but significant change in the license agreement section 3.1.1.

Previously the line read:
3.3.1 — Applications may only use Documented APIs in the manner prescribed by Apple and must not use or call any private APIs.

The line now reads:
3.3.1 — Applications may only use Documented APIs in the manner prescribed by Apple and must not use or call any private APIs. Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).

So why the buzz.? Basically the one major reason mobile development is so tricky, is you have to create one unique application for almost each phone on the marked. So it is nothing like developing applications for the browser, where you can create one application and that will work in most browsers.
The mobile developers have to create a brand new application from scratch for almost every type of mobile phone out there. Both time consuming, expensive and just plain stupid.
And naturally software vendors around the globe started facilitating tools for developers that allows you to create one mobile application that will work on several mobile phones. A great initiative for everybody, both developers, clients, technology and world peace.

However, Apple seems to disagree. With the new OS for the iPhone the conditions has changed. Apple insists that applications for the iPhone have to be specifically made to the Apple platform.

This will without a doubt result in furious 3.party software houses that overnight loses their entire business, and it is a serious breach in the ecosystem that binds the application community together.

But Apple must be thinking they can effort it. Cutting off the 3.party ecosystem, also means cutting off potential new clients and new projects. The Apple app store is overfilled with software, however only a few of the applications has actual value. One of the most downloaded apps from the app store is still the “flashlight” that turns your iPhone into a flashlight by lighting up the display. Hardly an application we can’t live without.

My point is, we are only in the beginning of the new mobile age, and Apple already thinks they own the thing. It is crucial for everybody in the business, to keep the ecosystem intact, despite the challenges and fight for marked shares. Maybe today apple has the most successful app store. But it is most unlikely that the rest of the industry will sit on their hand doing nothing about it.
What Apple thinks is a clever shortcut to maintaining their marked shares, can easily be a foolish short sighted act. You just can’t build a new ecosystem overnight, and burning your bridges once, causing the 3.party vendors tremendous pain, does not go unforgotten.
I sincerely hope Apple will change this section 3.1.1 back to the original conditions. It’s shortsighted, and it will haunt Apple forever forward.

Det sker med lancering af Flash CS5, som endnu ikke har fået nogen officiel release dato, men mon ikke, traditionen tro, at Adobe vil lancere Flash CS 5, på Fitc conferencen i Amsterdam d. 22 feb 2010.
Det er en nyhed som jeg personligt har glædet mig meget til, da det tidligere kun har været muligt at arbejde med programmeringssproget “Objective C” på Iphone.

Men med Flash CS 5 bliver det muligt for alle, som har kendskab til Flash/actionscript at lave fullblown Iphone applikationer. Det kommer til at betyde, at det nu bliver mere aktuelt end nogensinde før, at tænke brugerenes adfærd på mobile devices ind fra starten af it-projekter, både hvad angår teknik og udvikling, men også for kunder som ønsker at synliggøre deres online services på mobile platforme. Og jeg er sikker på, at der vil opstå mange kreative services, som forbinder online web i tradtionel forstand med “outdoor” web via mobiltelefonen.

Desværre er det stadig en gåde for Adobes Flash player team, at lave en version af flash player som virker i Iphones webbrowser, men forhåbentligt kan dette være starten på løsningen.