Adobe PR’s greatest nightmare…

June 17, 2007 By

Last night when picking up burritos at Tres Amigos in Half Moon Bay with Patrick someone came up to me (sorry, didn’t get remember his name and even if I had, I’d keep it secret to protect the innocent) and asked “are you Robert Scoble?” He recognized me from my blog. Turns out he’s an engineer on Adobe’s Flex team. We small talked a bit. I told him that I’ll be on the first leg of the Adobe AIR bus tour (doing a bunch of interviews and going to learn more about Flash and Flex and AIR). Said I was looking forward to talking with Kevin Lynch, and other executives and geeks who are expected to be on the bus.

But, I’ve been poking around Adobe for a while now and know from how they answer this question that something is up and that something has news value:

“How’s the work on the iPhone version of Flash going?”

He instantly answered “I can’t talk about that.”

This answer is so fast, and so consistent, that it just drives me nuts (it’s the fourth Adobe employee I’ve asked about this and got the exact same answer). So, of course, when I get on the bus, that’s the first thing I’m going to ask Kevin Lynch about.

Anyway, why is this Adobe PR’s greatest nightmare? Well, it’s every PR team’s nightmare to have an engineer meet a journalist, or worse yet a blogger, without a PR person around. Who knows what might get said?

In this case, though, they have this team locked down. It’s almost like they got PR training from Steve Jobs’ PR team. Oh, wait, that’s actually the case! (One of the head PR guys at Adobe used to work at Apple).

Damn, foiled again!

But, anyway, something is up inside Adobe regarding the iPhone. Post your rumors, innuendos, and spy photos here. :-)

Filed Under: 1
  • http://bithead.net/ David Brown

    This is a shot in the dark, and maybe even naive, but what if Apollo turns out to be an iPhone dev platform?

    Would that be newsworthy enough?

  • http://bithead.net David Brown

    This is a shot in the dark, and maybe even naive, but what if Apollo turns out to be an iPhone dev platform?

    Would that be newsworthy enough?

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    David: like I said, AIR could stand for: “Adobe IPhone Runtime” or, even, “Apple IPhone Runtime.” Heheh.

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    David: like I said, AIR could stand for: “Adobe IPhone Runtime” or, even, “Apple IPhone Runtime.” Heheh.

  • http://www.geise.com/ PXLated

    Or maybe Jobs told Adobe to go beat sand. I guess I wouldn’t want to talk about that either ;-)

  • http://www.geise.com PXLated

    Or maybe Jobs told Adobe to go beat sand. I guess I wouldn’t want to talk about that either ;-)

  • http://www.psynixis.com/blog Simon Brocklehurst

    To say the least, it would be an interesting decision to put Flash on the iPhone, and leave Java off…

    The really interesting thing, though, would be if they put full Flash on there; not Flash Lite…

  • http://www.psynixis.com/blog Simon Brocklehurst

    To say the least, it would be an interesting decision to put Flash on the iPhone, and leave Java off…

    The really interesting thing, though, would be if they put full Flash on there; not Flash Lite…

  • http://blog.verani.net/ Ioannus de Verani

    @PXLated: you have an interesting point… :)
    I guess we’ll see. When the iPhone is released, I’m going down to the Apple Store to play with it, if they let me.

  • http://blog.verani.net Ioannus de Verani

    @PXLated: you have an interesting point… :)
    I guess we’ll see. When the iPhone is released, I’m going down to the Apple Store to play with it, if they let me.

  • Hans

    4 in 10 odds “I can’t talk about that” is fear. Fear that Flash (Lite) is finally available for most phones that matter today, but will be non-existent on the only phone that matters by the end of the month.

    3 in 10 odds “I can’t talk about that” is (attempted) coolness. The engineer really has no idea whats up, but wants to sound like he’s in the know… even though he’s pretty confident even his boss’ boss doesn’t have a clue yet. And he’s planning to wait in line for one on the 29th even if it doesn’t have Flash.

    2 in 10 odds “I can’t talk about that” means iPhone 1.0 will ship without a single line of Adobe code. However, Adobe will be acquired by Apple about the time iPhone 2.0 ships to fill out Apple’s design/development platform (which will be greatly needed in regards to the iPhone.)

    1 in 10 (or really more like 1 in 1,000) odds “I can’t talk about that” means iPhone 1.0 will ship with Flash. The folks manufacturing these things don’t even get to see them, and neither has Adobe.

  • Hans

    4 in 10 odds “I can’t talk about that” is fear. Fear that Flash (Lite) is finally available for most phones that matter today, but will be non-existent on the only phone that matters by the end of the month.

    3 in 10 odds “I can’t talk about that” is (attempted) coolness. The engineer really has no idea whats up, but wants to sound like he’s in the know… even though he’s pretty confident even his boss’ boss doesn’t have a clue yet. And he’s planning to wait in line for one on the 29th even if it doesn’t have Flash.

    2 in 10 odds “I can’t talk about that” means iPhone 1.0 will ship without a single line of Adobe code. However, Adobe will be acquired by Apple about the time iPhone 2.0 ships to fill out Apple’s design/development platform (which will be greatly needed in regards to the iPhone.)

    1 in 10 (or really more like 1 in 1,000) odds “I can’t talk about that” means iPhone 1.0 will ship with Flash. The folks manufacturing these things don’t even get to see them, and neither has Adobe.

  • http://synthesis.sbecker.net/ Scott Becker

    If the answer was simply “No,” that would be one thing. But saying “I can’t talk about that,” when it comes to Apple, most likely means – yes, but we’re going to delay gratification and let the hope and anticipation build to fever pitch. Even with a little thing like Flash.

    Delayed announcements and secrecy is part of the Apple mystique. They simply understand the human emotion of material want. The status of an object for the period of time when you desire it and can’t yet have it is as good or better as once you actually own it.

    Leaving some of the details fuzzy lets it be up to the customer’s imagination – where they will invent in their mind the greatest product ever invented.

    And unlike other companies who can’t help bragging about unfinished goods, Apple has discipline.

  • http://synthesis.sbecker.net Scott Becker

    If the answer was simply “No,” that would be one thing. But saying “I can’t talk about that,” when it comes to Apple, most likely means – yes, but we’re going to delay gratification and let the hope and anticipation build to fever pitch. Even with a little thing like Flash.

    Delayed announcements and secrecy is part of the Apple mystique. They simply understand the human emotion of material want. The status of an object for the period of time when you desire it and can’t yet have it is as good or better as once you actually own it.

    Leaving some of the details fuzzy lets it be up to the customer’s imagination – where they will invent in their mind the greatest product ever invented.

    And unlike other companies who can’t help bragging about unfinished goods, Apple has discipline.

  • http://www.theconnectedworld.net/ David Jacobs

    Would it kill someone to just say, we’re working on it? Is that really the great secret of the iPhone? To me that means, Apple doesn’t want it but we’re trying to convince them. Lame Apple, very lame. And no 3G is lame too.

  • http://www.theconnectedworld.net David Jacobs

    Would it kill someone to just say, we’re working on it? Is that really the great secret of the iPhone? To me that means, Apple doesn’t want it but we’re trying to convince them. Lame Apple, very lame. And no 3G is lame too.

  • John

    Yes, there are a lot of ex-Apple folks at Adobe, and ex-Adobe folks at Apple. The current net positive flow is to Apple these days… all the San Jose folks who can’t stand working with those in San Francisco are moving to Cupertino…

    I’m pretty sure from my very good sources that there won’t be Flash or Flash Lite on iPhone 1.0.

    The last thing Apple wants is to be dependent on Adobe. Look at Mac OS X’s PDF support – it’s all Apple native code. Even though Adobe is one Apple’s biggest supporters, Jobs still complained about CS3 coming out so late after MacTel was released (not that Adobe complains publicly that Leopard got delayed as well as Windows Vista)

    Adobe needs to get AIR to 1.0 on Windows, Mac OS X Mactel and Linux before getting it on any phone…

  • John

    Yes, there are a lot of ex-Apple folks at Adobe, and ex-Adobe folks at Apple. The current net positive flow is to Apple these days… all the San Jose folks who can’t stand working with those in San Francisco are moving to Cupertino…

    I’m pretty sure from my very good sources that there won’t be Flash or Flash Lite on iPhone 1.0.

    The last thing Apple wants is to be dependent on Adobe. Look at Mac OS X’s PDF support – it’s all Apple native code. Even though Adobe is one Apple’s biggest supporters, Jobs still complained about CS3 coming out so late after MacTel was released (not that Adobe complains publicly that Leopard got delayed as well as Windows Vista)

    Adobe needs to get AIR to 1.0 on Windows, Mac OS X Mactel and Linux before getting it on any phone…

  • http://biblebasics.wordpress.com/ myles

    i can’t talk to you about that…

  • http://biblebasics.wordpress.com/ myles

    i can’t talk to you about that…

  • http://weblogs.macromedia.com/jd John Dowdell

    It’s hard to talk, in any useful way, about other groups’ unannounced work.

    The iPhone belongs to Steve Jobs, and it’s up to him to talk about it. Others can’t do so.

    And if they *do* do so, then you have to ask them how they know what they say they know, and test out their story against reality.

    I’m curious what “Web 2.0 Internet standards” from the Apple press release might mean, myself. But that’s for Steve Jobs and my old coworker Phil Schiller to explain, not me.

    It’s Apple’s product; Apple’s news.

    jd/adobe

  • http://weblogs.macromedia.com/jd John Dowdell

    It’s hard to talk, in any useful way, about other groups’ unannounced work.

    The iPhone belongs to Steve Jobs, and it’s up to him to talk about it. Others can’t do so.

    And if they *do* do so, then you have to ask them how they know what they say they know, and test out their story against reality.

    I’m curious what “Web 2.0 Internet standards” from the Apple press release might mean, myself. But that’s for Steve Jobs and my old coworker Phil Schiller to explain, not me.

    It’s Apple’s product; Apple’s news.

    jd/adobe

  • http://www.goodluckwithyourprojects.com/ Robert Zolkos

    “It’s Apple’s product; Apple’s news.”

    And Flash is Adobe’s product and Adobe’s news.

    Flash is an important part of the web and I would be very disappointed if there was no Flash on the iPhone at least *at some point* in the future.

  • http://www.goodluckwithyourprojects.com Robert Zolkos

    “It’s Apple’s product; Apple’s news.”

    And Flash is Adobe’s product and Adobe’s news.

    Flash is an important part of the web and I would be very disappointed if there was no Flash on the iPhone at least *at some point* in the future.

  • http://weblogs.macromedia.com/jd John Dowdell

    > > It’s Apple’s product; Apple’s news.
    >
    > And Flash is Adobe’s product and Adobe’s news.

    True, that. ;-)

    Adobe Flash Player 9 is already installed on 90%+ of the world’s computers within less than year (!!), and is a standard, expected part of the Web experience today.

    Adobe Flash Lite 2 is on few of the cheapie mobiles, but is a key component — and in some cases, a part of the native interface — of the world’s most attractive mobiles today.

    That’s info on Adobe releases. But I still don’t know what Apple’s iPhone will be able to achieve. Steve Jobs remains the best source of info on that.

    jd/adobe

  • http://weblogs.macromedia.com/jd John Dowdell

    > > It’s Apple’s product; Apple’s news.
    >
    > And Flash is Adobe’s product and Adobe’s news.

    True, that. ;-)

    Adobe Flash Player 9 is already installed on 90%+ of the world’s computers within less than year (!!), and is a standard, expected part of the Web experience today.

    Adobe Flash Lite 2 is on few of the cheapie mobiles, but is a key component — and in some cases, a part of the native interface — of the world’s most attractive mobiles today.

    That’s info on Adobe releases. But I still don’t know what Apple’s iPhone will be able to achieve. Steve Jobs remains the best source of info on that.

    jd/adobe

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  • Mike

    Not announcing your product will support something != announcing your product will not support something…

  • Mike

    Not announcing your product will support something != announcing your product will not support something…

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