iPad-ready? Apple works the web standards angle
In celebration of the iPad retail launch, Apple has created a gallery of iPad-ready websites that are said to embrace “the latest web standards—including HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript”. That is, no Flash. You can even add your site to the gallery (scroll to the bottom).
Is Apple really opening up?
Let’s get the snark out of the way: a gallery, really? How novel. Right now there’s a vertical list (no Cover Flow?) of 20 top-tier websites. Will Apple really painstakingly update this list and add every possible HTML5/CSS3/JS-ready site submitted?
It’s a rare thing for Apple to lead a user-generated campaign like this but its best intentions are a thin veil over their real agenda—eliminating the competition and expanding further in the multimedia business. Does it really care about anything other than the big fish? What are the odds that the most humble of websites will even get into the gallery? Apple markets its products by partnering with the largest corporations that fit into its plans; I can’t imagine caring for the little guy in all of this.
This isn’t even in the same league as the iTunes app store—whose contents number in the hundreds of thousands—but could easily apply the profit-based and biased policies anyway. Not what I would call open or little guy friendly.
Is Apple a true web standards crusader?
Speaking of the app store: you can also develop specifically for the iPhone/iPod/iPad family using the SDK, but those apps don’t work in other devices. The mobile web is booming because of both the “web standards way” and the “mobile app” way, but how are device-specific apps any better than Flash apps (which happen to be cross-platform outside of Apple’s products)? Flipping off Flash when HTML5 and CSS3 aren’t ready isn’t a very responsible thing to do.
If Apple really wants to promote web standards, it should be doing a lot more with its resources to convert and educate people. The gallery is one thing, this documentation is another good step, but where are the resources for developing in HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript? Partnerships with web standards groups like WaSP? Zeldman or one of the Super Friends speaking at the keynote?
If Apple really wants to promote web standards, see how it practically equates HTML5 with Flash-free media and nothing more. No oohs and ahs over CSS3′s text shadows and rounded corners or HTML5′s geolocation and <canvas>. This is the perfect opportunity to introduce the mainstream crowd to the wonders of these new technologies, yet all it’s pushing is anti-Flash propaganda.
One more thing…
Dear Apple, you’ve done a lot of groundbreaking things, but if you’re going to use web standards as a selling point for your most adjective-ridden product ever, you can do a hell of a lot better than an an anti-Flash gallery.
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By I fell for the iHype « Victus Spiritus on April 4, 2010 7:47 pm
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By Some links for light reading (8/04/10) | Max Design on April 8, 2010 3:04 am
I agree it’s a smoke screen by Apple. Their very own technical documentation (linked above) fails to scroll correctly on iPhone..
By Chris blown on April 8, 2010 6:10 am
I concur with your main premise that Apple is in some way exploiting ‘web standards’ as a marketing strategy but I’m confused with some aspects of your post. It is true that Flash is cross platform but are all mobile apps created in Flash device independent? Isn’t this only mostly true for web apps created in Flash – this is what Apple devices do not support. Also web apps created with web standard tools should by default be available to users of Apple devices. So I don’t think it is a clear-cut issue. however I fully agree that Apple should be much more proactive in promoting and financially supporting the development of open web standards.
By Kevin O'Gorman on April 8, 2010 7:10 am
Kevin, I think we’re making more or less the same point about the landscape of Flash web app development vs. mobile app development. Apple (and other mobile phones) doesn’t care that its apps aren’t compatible with other devices; that may be a good or bad thing but it’s certainly a head-scratcher with this web standards angle.
By Sophia Lucero on April 9, 2010 7:15 pm
[...] iPad-ready? Apple works the web standards angle | Wisdump [...]
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