Skyfire to bring Flash to iPhone. Will it soar high or go up in flames?
Flash coming to iPhone and iPad - really
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- IPhone and iPad users' long wait for an app that allows them to view Flash videos is about to be over.
Skyfire, which will be available for download at 9 a.m. ET on Thursday for $2.99, is the first such application to receive Apple's approval for distribution in its App Store.
Most people that i speak to, know that the news of Flash on the iPhone excites me. Unfortunately, I can't help but express my skepticism of the future success of the Skyfire iOS app.
I first became aware of the Skyfire browser when i became a brief user of the BlackBerry Storm 9500. It was one of the faster browsers for the platform and proved to be a viable alternative to the more popular Opera Mini. The updates/improvements came very slowly. At the time the browser was in a limited BETA if i'm not mistaken. Eventually this effort was abandoned and the company focused on its Android initiatives. It did not leave a good impression on myself.
When i first got wind of the iOS app being submitted, i had no doubts that Apple will shut it down due to it's use of the internal Safari's mobile rendering engine. Just like my Opera app predictions, i was wrong. So this is great news right?
Not really. There is no doubt in my mind that this app will have millions of downloads within weeks, even if it means forking out $2.99 for it. It's Flash man! We need it! Really? What do we need it for?
Let me remind you that this will not give your iOS device full flash capabilities. There will be no flash games and no flash website components support. It simply converts/renders the flash video through their servers. The performance in previews and videos on YouTube leaves a lot to be desired. It is a step forward, but will it scale?
Considering the company's past track record i am unsure. At a price of $2.99 with about 1M downloads in the first few weeks leaves the company with about $2M after the 70/30 split with Apple. Not bad huh? Well with this, they cover their R&D costs and maybe the servers for a couple of month or so. This in no means guarantees this will scale. It is crucial the performance is acceptable within the 1st week as the servers are pounded by the millions of nerds that want to watch (insert tech/anime flash video series). Their positive reviews are important as buzz builds up quick when discussing flash video on the iPhone. I expect Skyfire will turn to a subscription service in order to help pay for the INSANE amounts of traffic this can generate. Who wouldn't really pay for performance?
Usability-wise, Apple still needs to improve its support for allowing hyperlinks to be opened via 3rd party browser. They have made similar options available for PDF handling in recent firmware updates. Fingers crossed!
This discussion of app purchase + subscription fees + Apple vs. Adobe buzz really makes you wonder about all the $$$$ this can generate for Apple through the 70/30 split. We know where they stand with Flash support. Are they really approving this to promote the "Open Web" or is it for profits from sales?
I sincerely wish the Skyfire team the best of luck as they are fighting for a just cause. Everyone on the web stands to benefit from their struggles.
