29 replies to this topic

[Tom]

I think Steve Jobs has a real beef against Flash, . . . Jobs has simply had enough and he's bypassing it. . . . So, I actually agree with Jobs about Flash and I think he's influential enough that you're going to see the demise of Flash--especially with the advent of HTML 5 where it isn't necessary anymore anyway.

Yes I have ClickTo Flash, and have been using it for awhile now. It's nice. I like it. But that is really not at the heart of what I am saying. Without the option to use flash on the iPad, the web experience is going to be compromised by casual surfers like my wife. I know Steve Jobs has a beef against Adobe's Flash. But his beef may or may not be my beef. Let me decide if I want to use Flash or not—just like I have the choice using Safari on my laptop computer. The iPhone and iPod touch has limited internet usability (I own both), but I don't want limited usability on my iPad. That's not what it is advertised as (remember that Apple had to take down one of its images on its website because it actually showed a page that contained a displayed flash picture??!!). I CAN NOT experierence the web the way I want and do the things I want if JAVA and Flash are not supported. Maybe that's not true for you, but I know I am not alone. I'm just saying—give us a choice.

So I don't agree with Jobs not allowing me to decide if I want flash. I don't want to wait for the standard to change, HTML 5 is (at best) a long way off before it becomes *the standard.*

Tom

Edited by Tom, 01 March 2010 - 08:13 AM.

[R. Mansfield]

Let me decide if I want to use Flash or not—just like I have the choice using Safari on my laptop computer. The iPhone and iPod touch has limited internet usability (I own both), but I don't want limited usability on my iPad.

I think part of the issue is that the iPad is running the same OS as the iPhone/iPod Touch, even if it is a derivative of OS X. Thus, you're still going to have limited usability on the iPad, but with a bigger screen. And while you have choice of Safari or Firefox or Opera or whatever on your laptop, notice that you're not given a choice on the iPhone/iPod Touch. Apple's never been big on choice on this platform. It's their sandbox and they seem to want to remind us of that every now and then.

And the reality is that Apple's not going to allow a third party to affect the performance of the iPad. They don't want reports that the iPad is running dog slow because of something like Flash. The average person won't know that Flash is causing the slowdown. They'll just tell everyone that the iPad is very slow--especially when surfing the web. The A4 chip is a 1 ghz chip which is evidently more than suitable for the iPhone OS, but keep in mind that the iPhone OS is based on OS X. I can't imagine that Apple hasn't tested a version of Safari on the iPad that did allow Flash, and I can only imagine that the results on heavy Flash sites were not all that promising.

And we don't know Apple's actual intention. Maybe they'd be glad to include Flash if Adobe would get their act together in regard to the Mac version of Flash. Steve Jobs sat on that stage in his keynote and went to the New York Times website knowing that the flash images wouldn't render. Heck, he paused over it to make certain everyone could see. He's making a point. I don't know if the point's to Adobe to get their act together or to news outlets to get rid of flash. Regardless, something's got to change.

[R. Mansfield]

Here you go: the beginning of the end for Flash.

[Robb Brunansky]

Beautiful. Either make Flash a quality product, or let it die.

[Julie Falling]

Hey, all –

I have read this thread with much interest. If I were able to run Accordance on an iPad, I'd be asking for one for my Christmas/birthday present (born Dec 23). I would love to leave my hard copy of the Bible on the shelf and go the church with only an iPad. Being able to have multiple translations + Greek open at church would be wonderful. I could even use it for my music on the keyboard! We're running out of room for books here. We have shelves and shelves of them, closets full, boxes in the basement. I've reached the point where I would rather have things electronically, partly because of the space issue, and partly because it would make searching so easy.

One of the kids in my Greek class (I'm the only old lady in the class) has one pre-ordered. I'm trying not to be envious!

Julie

[Timothy Jenney]

One of the kids in my Greek class (I'm the only old lady in the class) has one pre-ordered. I'm trying not to be envious!

I've heard rumors Apple may really push this product in the university market as a replacement for textbooks. Sure makes sense to me! I hated carrying around those heavy textbooks—and think of the trees we could save!

Now, if a full-fledged Accordance version were to appear someday for this device, wouldn't that be cool! Students [and professors!] would have an incredible array of resources at their fingertips during class. [Of course, as a former prof, I'd have to insist that each iPad be on Airplane mode—no surfing the web during my lectures!]. ;-)

[Julie Falling]

Dr. J –

Another advantage of electronic text books is that we might be able to update relatively inexpensively.

I'm am coming to think the iPad will be as transformative as the iPod and iPhone, and that it will really fill that niche between smart phone and laptop that other devices don't.

Here's a link my pastor sent us. Thought all of you might enjoy it.

http://www.kontraban...pple-iProducts/

Julia

[R. Mansfield]

I've heard rumors Apple may really push this product in the university market as a replacement for textbooks.

There's also significant movement from publishers to move textbooks to electronic formats. See "Texbook Publishers Heading to iPad."

[Timothy Jenney]

There's also significant movement from publishers to move textbooks to electronic formats. See "Texbook Publishers Heading to iPad."

Thanks for the link, Rick!

I think everyone in the publishing field recognizes that textbooks are simply too expensive. While publishers LOVE new editions (they make money!), bookstores, professors and students hate them (they lose money). E-texts simple make more sense, as they can be updated incrementally. If publishers can avoid the whole paper printing cycle, they can cut down on costs—and we can all save some trees. We are ALL tired of hearing that textbooks are out of stock, will not be available until two weeks into the semester, etc. Besides, why pay the cost of physically shipping them, when we can just download them [a really pressing problem overseas].

Digital rights management is going to have to improve: we want a single student to be licensed to use the textbook for as long as s/he needs it, but without the right [or ability] to pass it to another person. Profs would like students to hold on to these textbooks for future reference, not to just chuck these things once the semester is over.

Enter Accordance, with its superlative search engine. I see it as a future "must-have" application for anyone taking classes in religious studies.

[Robb Brunansky]

First, of course, Accordance has to have an insanely great iPad App. I have no doubt they have the ability to put one together. Do you know something we all don't, Dr J?