Apple undermining WEB- Adobe
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The war between Adobe Systems-Apple over Flash is heating up. Adobe cofounders John Warnock and Chuck Geschke have accused Apple through an open letter to be the company behind the iPhone, iPod and iPad of undermining “the next chapter of the web.”
A letter has been posted on the website of Adobe and an advertising campaign has been started under the name, The Freedom of Choice as per which, while Adobe loves Apple, the iPhone maker is “taking away your freedom.” The ads are also displayed in The New York Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, and The Wall Street Journal, as well as technology blogs and news sites including TopTechNews.com.
According to the Adobe co- founders, consumers should be able to freely access their favorite content and applications, regardless of what computer they have, what browser they like, or what device suits their needs and if the web fragments into closed systems, come at the expense of the very creativity and innovation that has made the Internet a revolutionary force.
Since they publish Flash specifications are made by them, anyone can make a player. The letters by the cofounders also pointed to Postscript and PDF, two Adobe cross-platform software solutions with openly published specifications. It has to be kept in mind that Adobe is not only resorting to the letter and ads to pressurize Apple, as it has been reported that a possible federal antitrust investigation might also be there in response to a complaint from Adobe.
Apple on the other hand has also replied through an open lengthy in which the cofounder and CEO Steve Jobs has attempted to explain why Adobe’s nearly ubiquitous Flash technology is not allowed on Apple’s mobile devices calling Flash a proprietary, closed system.
MobiTV Attracts New Investors
MobiTV may only be seven years old, but the company has made a name for itself in the mobile television market. To further its efforts in the space, the company has raised $100 million in Series C funding, which includes support from new investors Adobe Systems and Hearst Corporation.
The company plans to use the funds to support future growth. “Demand for mobile TV is taking off and carriers are understanding the power mobile television has to attract new customers and up sale customers,” says MobiTV Chief Strategy Officer and interim CFO Bruce Gilpin.
MobiTV is network agnostic and recently forged into the PC space through a deal with AT&T to facilitate the launch of AT&T Broadband TV. MobiTV is committed to the PC offering, but Gilpin says the company needs to invest in more resources and research for network standards (such as WiMAX and others).
Although it is hard to say what role WiMAX will play in the mobile television sector at this point, Gilpin believes Sprint Nextel’s recent decision to adopt WiMAX technology is a good indication that it will be a real contributor. MobiTV has already tested WiMAX technology and performed some trials to positive results. WiMAX makes sense for the industry because unlike broadcast that doesn’t allow for interactivity and m-commerce, WiMAX does, Gilpin says. “The home market is moving toward unicast. We think WiMAX is a nice alternative to that because it will allow for broadband-quality speeds as well as interactivity,” he says.
MobiTV was already working with Adobe’s platform prior to the investment, but is now looking forward to a closer relationship with the company, Gilpin says. “Adobe is a leader in the video player space with its Flash platform,” he says. “It is important for us to work together as we develop new and innovative applications for broadband.”
MobiTV also is excited about receiving backing from Hearst, given its tremendous reach into the media space, according to Gilpin.
Other investors participating in the Series C round of funding include Oak Investment Partners, Menlo Ventures, Redpoint Ventures and Gefinor Ventures.
MobiTV was founded in 1999. Sprint (now Sprint Nextel) was the first U.S. carrier to launch its mobile television offering. Up until this latest round of funding, the company has raised between $21 million and $22 million.
Source- wirelessweek Wireless Mobile Telecom
