If you’ve been following the dispute between Apple and Adobe, you already know that Adobe has abandoned its attempts to port Flash applications to the iPhone and iPad. Adobe feels that Apple is tying down developers. Apple is claiming that allowing Flash on its devices would seriously hinder their performance. In this latest battle, it’s been widely reported that Steve Jobs has said Adobe’s software is too slow and outdated to be useful on his company’s iPhone.
This news is particularly bad for the eLearning industry. There isn’t an equivalent to Flash for developing eLearning courseware. In essence, therefore, Apple’s restrictions will make it impossible to use its new iPad as an eLearning platform. Already completed courses won’t run and the industry would have to reinvent itself to work without Flash.
Even if Apple changed its mind about Flash, however, all applications have to be sent to the App Store for approval. Do you want your corporate training to be reviewed by Apple just to use it on a device for which you’ve already paid?
One of the greatest benefits of eLearning is the ability to take a class from virtually anywhere at any time. Let’s hope that the iPad can be used to its full potential soon. Imagine the ease of training when your team members can load up a piece of custom courseware on a device as convenient as the iPad. For the time being, however, it’s still a dream.