It’s well known that the iPhone’s operating system is a mobile version of the same software that powers Mac computers. Quicktime got the same treatment; it’s what plays videos on the iPhone. Now it looks like the iPhone might be getting the ability to play .flv files with the release of Quicktime X, according to TechCrunch. This would be very nice as it would allow for a lot more of the internet to work on Apple’s popular handset. For example, content on Hulu would be playable within the iPhone’s browser. While that would be very nice, it would not solve a good portion of the iPhone’s problem with Flash: that many sites require it for more than rendering video content.
Apple makes bank by selling content, in the form of games, videos, and music. For an iPhone user, the most common method of acquiring entertainment is by getting it through the iTunes store. If users could instead just visit a site which hosted Flash games instead of dropping a dollar here and there, Apple stands to lose a lot of money; keep in mind those dollars add up fairly quickly. The same holds true for video content – most of the stuff hosted on the Hulu and the ABC streaming site, such as House, Lost, and Desperate Housewives, makes Apple a hefty profit in sales. If users can just stream that stuff for free, they’re not going to keep paying Apple to watch shows while on the go.
With that in mind, it seems unlikely that Apple would ever allow Flash on the iPhone. But it has to happen, if only because other mobile platforms already support it. When the iPhone was by far the highest functioning smartphone on the market, Apple had the luxury of being able to decree what can and can’t go into a handset. Between the Palm Pre and the impending wave of Android phones, Apple can’t play this game anymore. In the long run, Apple stands to make more money by releasing Flash for the iPhone – it’s a good way of preventing current users from abandoning ship.
