Teppefall Labs

The reason for this is because Adobe ported Flash 10 (FLEX/AIR) to Linux and then supported Google Chrome OS and Android. This, combined with free web based office tools from Google and Adobe pissed off Apple and they started moving into advertising. Adobe Flash on its own is not a problem, but when Google and Adobe started replacing customer conversion pipelines this is a direct attack on Apple's business. And since Microsoft was already in the advertising marked the timing was right. You could also argue that Apple wants more control over what ads are running.

Google Chrome OS with Flash support is much more dangerous than Java Applets. And Java terrified both Microsoft and Apple. So much so that Microsoft cloned the whole system and Apple added Java like functionality to Objective C. Basically Actionscript is a worse threat than Java. Because Java was something that Apple could add to their operating system as a feature. Chrome OS simply ignores Apple altogether. And Adobe had no problem supporting this anti-desktop (Apple/Microsoft/Ubuntu) platform where account, processing and data API lock-in replaces the desktop API lock-in. If successful Google Chrome OS will flood the marked with $200 tablets from Chinese manufacturers and replace Netbooks.

Apple was afraid of Sun Microsystems and got Google instead. A much worse opponent supported by advertising revenue. So Apple now wants millions of iPhone, iPod and iPad users watching their media rich ads. Because location is what powers mobile advertising and not search query keywords. Apple basically came to the conclusion that Google and Adobe powered advertising is obsolete on multi-touch Apple devices and they want to take over the entire marked. Apple is going iPod on their collective asses. Say hello to Apple stickiness and no more third party Flash tracker cookies. Now there is only one tracker. Apple.

Some even claim that Adwords is gamed by people with insider access. Just watch this video and forward to 48 minutes. There you will get a short story about how emailing “firstname at google dot com” results in no Adwords restrictions. If this is true, then Apple iAd might be an exciting new alternative. Some may even claim that Foursquare can be the next Lala. Because Apple iAd is about location based advertising. But this will only happen if Foursquare has some real customer aware technology. Location based check-ins are not hard to replicate and Apple has no shortage of paying customers or talented engineers.

Adobe pulled a Sun Java for the Cloud and forgot where they came from. Selling expensive Creative Suite software while promoting HTC, cheap Chinese cloning companies and Google is not something Steve Jobs finds amusing.