No Flash in the Pad

There has always been a touch of the perverse when it comes to new Apple product launches, the specs typically baffling as many tech-heads as they delight gadget freaks. In this respect, the corporation’s decision to exclude Adobe Flash functionality from the iPad at least shows signs of consistency.

Inevitably, the January 2010 iPad launch announcement instantly raised bristles at Adobe, whose group manager for Flash marketing, Adrian Ludwig, rattled off the valid point that iPad users would be unable to access more than 70 per cent of online games and 75 per cent of existing online video content. After all, given that iPad’s 9.7” touch screen makes the tablet computer ideal for gaming, the decision to exclude Flash seemed a major oversight on the part of its developers. (Apple boss Steve Jobs famously responded with a refreshingly candid and – for almost everyone except Adobe, pretty amusing - open letter, in which he spelt out exactly why Apple has not time for Flash.) More importantly, mobile advertisers were left pondering how Apple’s decision would affect their scope in the market.

Technically, iPad uses the same operating system – iPhone OS – as the iPhone and iPod touch, so there is a degree of familiarity when it comes to developing applications for the new product. However, strip away Flash, and could we be looking at an innovative, popular tablet device that nonetheless restricts mobile marketing opportunities, leaving users shut out of an enormous portion of web video?

Content delivery challenges
Fortunately, experts predict that iPad’s Flash-free nature should not have too much of a detrimental impact on marketing opportunities – though they do share a sense of bewilderment concerning Apple’s move. Harry Dewhirst, VP, advertising at Amobee, tells Mobile Marketing: “When the iPad announcement was made, it wasn’t received well by the more tech-savvy people ¬– they wanted full OS capabilities on the platform, rather than an enhanced version of the iPhone.

“The reliance on HTML5 video formatting does seem a bit of a failing, but then again, the combination of HTML5, Ajax and JavaScript are better suited to lesser-powered and/or battery-powered devices than to a high performance desktop PC.”

Meanwhile, Srini Dharmaji, CEO of GoldSpot Media, claims: “HTML5 is not an answer for everything, even if it’s being exaggerated by the control freaks in the industry. I don’t think the lack of Flash will restrict marketing opportunities, but it will present a challenge when it comes to content delivery.”

In turn, Julien Theys, an analyst at research firm Screen Digest, believes that concerns about the absence of Flash are being exaggerated in some quarters. “There are very potent web standards that allow great things in HTML5, Ajax and JavaScript, and advertisers should focus on the end user experience ¬– there are many other means to that end,” he comments. “Keep in mind, Flash is currently struggling on all mobile platforms. iPhone OS is an easy target because of the spotlight it enjoys, but I challenge you to show me Flash running smoothly on any other mobile platform.”

Similarly, AdMarvel CEO, Mahi de Silva, sees a combination of HTML5 and JavaScript as providing an adequate alternative to Flash, adding: “Even though iPad represents a new paradigm, a lot of the old relationships in digital still work."

Upmarket audience
The Apple vs. Adobe rumble certainly hasn’t deterred the punters; Apple shifted its first million iPads by the end of April in the US, more than 500,000 iPads had already been sold in the US alone, prompting Theys to reason: “Apple’s target of selling 4 to 5 million units by the end of 2010 sounds less crazy than it did initially.”

In terms of the type of consumer the tablet is attracting, Amobee’s Dewhirst says: “iPad is a sleek and sexy, premium device, and its customers represent a unique subset of people who are relatively affluent – it’s certainly more of a luxury, whereas most people see the iPhone as a necessity these days. If you’re paying $300 for the Kindle, and the iPad’s priced at $500, most will agree it’s worth paying the extra $200 for the enhanced experience.”

Dharmaji adds: “I showed the iPad to my son, and he thought it was really cool. He’s happy that he can read a wide range of books on it and take it with him on vacation.”

Neither have advertisers been slow to jump on the bandwagon, with a number of brands bulk-buying months’ worth of advertising on the New York Times website in the wake of the iPad launch announcement. AdMarvel, which was purchased earlier this year by Opera, has also had significant interest from a variety of advertisers, including hotel chain Marriott, following the roll-out of its iPad ad platform, which has been jointly launched with PointRoll, a subsidiary of Gannett, publisher of USA Today.

Meanwhile, GoldSpot Media has launched miAPI, an enhanced, iPad-specific version of its SDK video mobile advertising platform, providing full screen, split screen, overlay and partial screen advertisement options for all three iPhone OS products, as well as for Android, RIM, Symbian S60, J2ME and BREW devices.

Dewhirst comments: “As iPad is just a richer extension of what you’d get from iPhone, with the bonus of additional bandwidth, a number of media interests who made good chunks of money from iPhone applications are also keen to sell these apps over iPad – and, possibly, at a higher price, given iPad’s more affluent customer base.”

Brand new approach 
So, as a relatively blank canvas, it would appear that, far from restricting marketing opportunities, the iPad is stimulating application developers to come up with new ways of targeting their audiences. “I think we’ll see a lot of trial and error evolutions at first,” opines Theys. “The iPhone OS will introduce multitasking soon, which will make clicking on ads less of a dilemma, as the user will not fear a straight cut interruption. The new concept will probably build on the notion of ‘tap and hold’, while the ‘hover’ function will probably go, since there is no cursor on the iPad to hover with.”

While it is still early days for the product, Dewhirst sees iPad’s appeal as potentially being strong enough to provoke a shake-up across the internet, commenting: “If tablet applications take off, website developers will have the adapt the way they build their sites, allowing for alternatives to Flash – otherwise, they simply won’t get read.”

And Theys agrees that iPad could well inspire a radical overhaul in the ways in which developers plan content. “The bigger screen is not just about scaling up the iPhone interface, but finding new ones that are intuitive and engaging. This is the exciting, but also the challenging part.”