Sites prep for iPad rather than wait for Adobe

At least two major websites have said they will make iPad-specific versions of their pages instead of insisting on using Flash. Both National Public Radio and the Wall Street Journal will automatically detect the tablet and redirect it to a simliar version that cleanly removes the Adobe plugin. While it's not mentioned if either will still have media playback, NPR also mentioned to AllThingsD plans to re-tune its iPhone app to scale properly on the larger screen of the Apple device.

The radio site can achieve its goal more easily as its publishing system separates the content from the layout, which lets designers reflow articles or other material. It also doesn't depend on a regular ad network and has sponsors already prepared to display on the iPad version. The WSJ can't claim the same and admits that users will eventually find non-optimized pages.

Other major sites are believed to be doing the same but haven't been named.

Either decision is a superficial but symbolic to Adobe. It has often cited the popularity of Flash for video as making support a 'necessity' on Apple devices, but the move would signal a willingness on the part of major content producers to side with Apple, which has openly prefered plugin-free technology like HTML5.

By Electronista Staff