There have been numerous reports circulating around the internet about how Flash CS5′s native iPhone Application compiler is, effectively, doomed.

There have also been a variety of reactions to this, from the informed (“I don’t like it, but Apple has every right to do so”) to the very ill-informed (“Flash Sucks!”), so let me state my position in the matter: this whole thing stinks like a dead carcass wrapped in burnt bacon thrown in a washing machine filled with raw sewage.

The Matter

The reports point to a new clause in section 3.3.1 of the iPhone 4.0 SDK, which states

Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited

and the expectation is that Apple has effectively removed any chance of Apps compiled using Flash CS5′s compiler (or any other compiler aside from the iPhone SDK) from entry into the App Store.

There are numerous reasons being cited for this new development (via comments), including:

1. performance is impacted (by Flash)
2. battery life is reduced (by Flash)
3. Apps produced by other tools for cross-platforms do not take advantage of the iPhone’s strengths.
4. This is just to prevent alternative App stores from popping up.
5. Apple does not want people to create apps for free without going through the App store.

However, most of those points are complete and utter troll drivel.

The Facts

Lets be clear on all the facts.

Performance/Battery Life

This has got absolutely nothing to do with performance, or battery life. In fact, it has nothing to do with Flash at all. Flash CS5 is merely the tool that allows you to compile native iPhone applications. So the result is a native iPhone App. There is still no Flash on the iPhone, neither is Flash running on the iPhone at any time. So any complaints about Flash sucking away performance or battery life on the iPhone is completely irrelevant. To categorise Apps compiled on anything other than the iPhone SDK as battery and performance sucking vampires is just short of “Guilty until Proven Innocent” except in this case, there’s no chance to prove an App’s innocence.

Circumventing the App Store

There is no way (bar jailbreaking your iPhone) you can get an App onto your iPhone. Plain and simple. Any claims that say otherwise are simply wrong. I say again: these are native applications compiled for the iPhone, and submitted through the App Store. There will not be new App Stores popping up allowing you to sell Flash iPhone Apps.

The Reason

Lets think about this carefully.

Apple already have control over the Apps that go on the iPhone via the App Store review process. This allows them to reject any Apps that, as those concerned have mentioned, suck away battery life and performance, or Apps that don’t conform to some black-box review requirements. Furthermore there is definitely no way Adobe, or anyone else, will be able to set up a new App Store for downloading new Apps. Nor is Flash running on the iPhone at anytime. And if an App doesn’t take full advantage of the iPhone because of its cross-platform nature, why should this be an impact on the App Store, the store with thousands of Apps that somehow got past Apple’s quality review process. Why would they do this when they already have full control over the iPhone?

Because the only way you can build Applications for the iPhone is by buying a Mac.

Apple doesn’t want anyone without a Mac to compile applications for their flagship mobile products, increasing in market share by the minute (and even more so with the launch of the iPad). So once they realised that people were writing tools to compile for the iPhone on anything other than an OS X, they take steps to stamp it out. iPhone development is one of the big drivers in iMac and MacBook sales, without them you can’t build for the iPhone.

Conclusion

So there you have it. While Apple has every right to do so, it stinks as hell. And I hope someone with some balls and brains has the ability to see that. And, as John Gruber puts it, “[Adobe are] pretty much royally fucked”.

Author’s Note: Apology for the inflamatory language. While I don’t even work with Flash anymore, I hate to see these sorts of things happening, and the people doing it getting away with it.