Adobe already has iPhone version of Flash running on emulator

iflash

Adobe already has a version of Flash for the iPhone running on emulation software, and would, fingers crossed, be able to bring that over to the phone itself if Apple allowed it. That’s what Adobe said yesterday at its Q2 conference call. Or:

We have a version that’s working on the emulation. This is still on the computer and you know, we have to continue to move it from a test environment onto the device and continue to make it work. So we are pleased with the internal progress that we’ve made to date.

But will Apple allow Flash for the iPhone? Steve Jobs has claimed in the past that the mobile version of Flash—presumably what Adobe would be porting over to the iPhone—isn’t powerful enough for use on the nimble and elegant iPhone. Integration with Safari? Ha! (Not you, Peter.)

This leaves Adobe, if it wants a piece of that sweet, sweet iPhone market, with a few options. It could simply release a stand-alone Flash application on the upcoming App Store, but that would be cumbersome to say the least. One of the big reason why Flash is so popular is because it “just works” in a browser. No having to download Hulu videos to your hard drive in order to view them, for example.

Adobe could also, somehow, convince Apple to let it release a plugin for Safari. That’d be the most seamless for consumers, but when have filthy customers ever gotten what’s best for them?

Basically, it’s Apple playing the role of Jerk, and as much as I hate overly Flashy Web sites, it’s absurd to think of iPhone Safari without Flash support.