Adobe: We're now optimizing Flash for Macs, MacBook Airs

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen told an audience at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco that the business is now using a MacBook Air to "optimize" Flash for the Mac, and that the project has already reached the beta stage, just two weeks right after tests showed that Flash use drained battery life on the Air compared to visiting the same sites in HTML5. Apple omitted a pre-installed Flash plug-in from the new MacBook Air, explaining that clients could get a much better, much more recent version by downloading it themselves.

The original testing blamed the heavy use of Flash in advertising for the excess drain, but substantial battery loss has since been demonstrated on other models and platforms, most notably the mobile arena.

The revelation casts new light on Adobe's numerous counter-arguments to Steve Jobs' pointed criticisms and explanation of why Flash is not allowed on iOS gadgets, published as an open letter last April. At the time, the CEO of Apple said they had asked Adobe to demonstrate Flash running nicely on a mobile device, which they could not. Jobs also criticized the business for repeatedly delaying Flash for mobile gadgets. The business finally shipped Flash 10.1 for mobile gadgets, it's hardware-accelerated version, in August -- six months right after Jobs' essay.

Narayen blamed the issues with Apple largely on early access to hardware acceleration, saying that where they were able to optimize Flash for the hardware, it performed efficiently and did not cause substantial battery drain. At present, only Android gadgets running v2.2 can help Flash 10.1, and reports on its performance have been mixed.

Analysts, nevertheless, note that Flash on Android performs sufficiently nicely that it might put pressure on Apple to eventually allow Flash on their iOS gadgets going forward, lest they lose a competitive edge. Company researcher Ovum suggests that as other smartphone OSes help Flash 10.1, they will be able to demonstrate a substantial advantage over Apple's offerings. Microsoft, Palm, Symbian and RIM have all pledged to help Flash in their upcoming smartphone and tablet gadgets.