The new functionality was announced on the company's official blog, where Adobe Product Marketing Manager Puneet Goel revealed that App Store software could be created "using one tool chain, programming language and code base — a first for developers."
The support for iOS applications comes in addition to the ability to create software for Research in Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, also new features of Flash Builder and Flex 4.5. Initially, application support was only available for Android software.
Flash Platform evangelist Serge Jespers demonstrated the ability of Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5 to build iOS software in a video accompanying the post. The same stock market tracking application was shown running on an iPad 2 and iPod touch, in addition to an Android-powered HTC smartphone and the BlackBerry PlayBook.
Jespers also showed off the ability of Adobe's software to allow developers to quickly created tabbed applications, or add features like automatically rotating between portrait and landscape mode. By checking the appropriate boxes, developers can easily export their mobile software for Apple's iOS alongside BlackBerry Tablet OS and Google Android.
A "Platform Settings" option also allows developers to select their target device when creating iOS software. Through this, software can be created specifically for the smaller screen sizes of the iPhone and iPod touch, the larger 9.7-inch display of the iPad, or both.
"When your application is ready, you don't actually have to build the application separately for every single platform," Jespers said. "You can actually do that in one code. It's pretty amazing."
Flash 4.5 and Flex 4.5 are offered as standalone products for developers to purchase, or are available through Creative Suite 5.5 Web Premium and Master Collection.
"The reaction from developers to the new mobile capabilities in Flash Builder 4.5 and the Flex 4.5 framework has been absolutely fantastic," said Ed Rowe, vice president of developer tooling, Adobe. "They are amazed by how easy it is to create great mobile apps for Android devices, BlackBerry PlayBook, iPhone and iPad. Companies can now effectively reach their customers no matter what type of device they have."
Last September, Apple revised its policy on third-party development tools for iOS, and decided it would allow developers to use tools like Adobe's in order to create software made available to download on the App Store. That was a change from an earlier policy, when Apple's iOS 4 software development kid license banned tools that would port applications from Flash, Java and Mono.
Controversy over Apple's decision prompted CEO Steve Jobs to pen a letter in which he explained that allowing Flash conversion tools would produce "sub-standard apps" for the iPhone and iPad, hindering the progress of the iOS platform. Jobs said at the time that it was known from "painful experience" that allowing developers to become dependent on third-party tools is restrictive.
"We cannot be at the mercy of a third party deciding if and when they will make our enhancements available to our developers," Jobs said in April 2010.
Though Flash remains banned on iOS devices, Adobe has continued to expand its support for the iPhone and iPad, and this march released a Flash-to-HTML5 conversion tool. The "experimental" software called "Wallaby" allows for Adobe Flash Professional files with the .fla extension to be converted to an HTML format that can be opened in the Mobile Safari browser on iOS devices.
47 Comments
1. ANOTHER programming language I have to learn? I don't care how easy it is... No thanks, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
2. Can this Adobe development system that can create apps for various mobile devices also create a conventional website in the same build step as just another target?
I'd love to hear from Flash && iOS developers that can tell me 1) If this is pretty doing a Flash app to create an IOS app, 2) the quality of the code it creates, and 3) if it's just better to use Obj-C/Xcode to create your iOS apps.
The only thing I can say about this is: big meh
Flash tools for cross-platform applications have been available on PC's and Macs for decades, but the only things they are used for are banners, obnoxious websites, animations, and silly games that 9 out of 10 times also have a native version. For games, alternatives like Unity and Corona already exist that are much cheaper for developers.
Who exactly is waiting for tools like this, except lazy developers who think they can get away with substandard applications that perform mediocre on every platform, instead of trying to go the extra mile and make applications the perform outstanding on some?
Adobe is realling clinging to every last straw to keep their 'write once, deploy everywhere' development tools going, but if history teaches us anything, it's that developers don't actually mind all that much porting their games or sticking to one or two platforms.
Adobe this week released Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5, adding the ability to build and distribute iPhone, iPad and iPod touch applications on Apple's official App Store.
Doesn't matter. Apps made with this crap will be rejected due to poor functionality. Steve doesn't sell crap in his store, and every app made like this is going to be crap.