A shinier future for Flash (on iOS Devices)

Apple relaxed its iOS developer rules on Thursday, removing the restriction that had blocked the Packager for iPhone application and also permitted advertisements supplied by Google’s AdMob once again. It also detailed the full set of App Store admission rules for the first time. Apple’s recent announcement on lifting restrictions on its third-party developer guidelines has resulted in Adobe’s Packager for iPhone, a feature in Adobe Flash Professional CS5 authoring tool. This feature was created to enable Flash developers to quickly and easily deliver applications for iOS devices. Only available for developers to use today in Flash Professional CS5, the community says that Packager apps are already being approved for the App Store.

The Packager of iPhone (which also covers the iPod Touch and iPad) is important for Adobe, much of whose clout with developers resides with Flash. It’s important to note however that Apple’s restriction on Flash content running in the browser on iOS devices remains in place. Adobe meanwhile will continue towards bringing full web browsing with Flash Player 10.1 as well as standalone applications on AIR to devices manufactured by the likes of Google, HTC, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Palm/HP, RIM, Samsung and others.

Adobe is trying to bring Flash to the mobile realm, where processing power is scarce, screens are small, and user interfaces are different. And other Web technologies – HTML, CSS, SVG, JavaScript, and WebGL are quickly catching up. But unlike with Google and its Android mobile operating system, Adobe’s Flash still won’t run directly on Apple’s iOS devices. The argument over the future of Flash continues what with Apple CEO Steve Jobs publicly deriding Flash in an open letter to Adobe launching an ad campaign criticizing Apple for restricting developer freedom.