The continued battle between Apple and Adobe has forced other companies to pick sides in a public software spat between the popular Flash platform and HTML5 technology, which Apple supports and recommends instead of Flash.
Apple and Adobe are both looking for support within the industry, with Adobe recently receiving a major boost when NBC Universal and Time Warner publicly stated that they will continue to support Flash. Both companies said it'd be a waste of time and resources to try and leave behind Flash in favor of HTML 5 and other alternatives.
Apple needs this support as partners for the iPad step forward to create custom apps built on HTML5 instead of Flash. CNN, Fox News, Disney and CBS are all willing to embrace HTML5 to varying degrees, but other content providers are expected to hold out.
Joining NBC and Time Warner in the Flash bandwagon will be Nokia and Opera, with both companies recently announcing their support of the upcoming Flash 10.1 software platform. Opera co-founder Jon von Tetzchner said Flash remains the only proprietary Web solution the company supports.
I think it's silly -- but understandable -- for both companies to be in such a stalemate. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has always held tight control of his company, but it has led to enormous growth for the company. Jobs also wrote a public letter that openly criticized the Flash platform, though very few people seemed to be interested in listening to the drama between the two companies.
Apple will also have to worry about Android and Google TV, both of which supports Adobe's Flash. Google TV promises an open platform that NBC and other content providers will be likely to embrace.
Apple prohibited the use of Flash on the iPhone and the iPad, and last month Adobe publicly announced it wouldn't try to port Flash to Apple's products. Adobe eventually launched a new ad that showed support for both Flash and Apple, which was a coy attempt to poke fun at Jobs.
