Adobe Systems is not taking lightly attacks on its technology by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. On Friday, Adobe responded to accusations by Jobs that Flash is behind Mac crashes and battery draining.
Apple is blowing smoke in the wrong direction, according to Adobe, which said Flash — used in 81 percent of the videos on the Internet — is not the cause of Mac problems. It said Apple’s operating system is to blame.
“Adobe’s vision and strategy has always been to empower customers to create, deliver and optimize content and applications across media and screens,” said Holly Campbell, Adobe’s director of corporate communications. “Flash is one of the most pervasive technologies on the planet and makes great web experiences and applications possible.”
Apple’s move is another attempt to control developers and consumers, according to Adobe. “Apple’s moves to block Flash and other technologies are designed to protect a business model that locks developers and consumers into a single, proprietary stack,” Campbell said. “Recent changes to Apple’s licensing agreement are proof of that. Any attempt to position this solely as a technology issue is a smokescreen.”
Jobs’ attack on Flash comes after years of Apple using Adobe’s Creative Suite to market its Macs to designers who rely heavily on Flash technology.
Things changed when Apple launched its popular iPhone. Apple didn’t support Flash on the mobile device, and that was the beginning of a souring relationship between the two companies.
Adobe then created a way for Flash developers to connect programs to the iPhone. Adobe’s Flash Professional Creative Suite 5 included a Packager for iPhone that enabled Flash developers to develop applications for the iPhone and iPad.
Just a week before Adobe was slated to release CS5 with the work-around, Apple threw salt in the wound by telling developers that iPhone apps…