Hey BlackBerry, 2005 Called
Posted on May 22, 2011
If you haven't seen the recent BlackBerry commercial boasting it's Flash compatibilty, well, I guess you're one of the lucky ones. The commercial starts like this:
"What's so special about web browsing on the new BlackBerry Playbook…? That's right, it runs Flash"
Wow BlackBerry, you guys are just so revolutionary. Let me guess, the next version is going to play Beta tapes, run on leaded gas and come stock with an 8-Track player…….…Shut up BlackBerry, just shut up, before we all vomit. It's not so often that a commercial like this pisses me off to the point where I need write a damn rant article about it…
Isn't it just typical that a company, notorious for releasing inferior technology, is positioning their new tablet as 'superior', simply because it supports Flash. Makes me sick. This is quite literally the equivalent of trying to a sell a DVD player because it also plays VHS.
This whole mentality is a little too familiar to the whole IE6 scenario -- and it just goes to show that company's will exploit the fact that people will always continue to use old technology, even long after it's been replaced. But more accurately, the fact that people out there are afraid of positive change. If you have't seen the commercial here it is:
Now back to the Flash thing -- don't get me wrong, Flash is cool -- it always has been. There are many forms of media online that are perfectly suited to be built with Flash. But I guess what I'm trying to say is that if your campaign requires the use of Flash, at least have a fallback for mobile/tablet devices - cause let's face it, most interactive Flash media [in reality] doesn't run all that smooth on a mobile devices or even tablets anyway (That's at least been my experience). Yeah - I know this means more work for developers - but its all part of a push forward. We can sit around and wait for people to start using modern technology, or we can force them to. And dammit, I'm with Apple on this one! Apple may not always be right - but for the love of God - I hope they continue to stick to their guns on this one. (I know they will!).
We're in an era where technology is advancing at a rapid pace, and it really grinds my gears that freaking BlackBerry (and other companies I won't mention...oh screw it, I'm talking about you Motorola & LG) are using the "we support Flash" as a selling a feature. And then BlackBerry goes and says stuff like, "Introducing the world's first professional-grade tablet" ….What the hell does that even mean???
So if you're with me, (or you think I'm an asshole and completely out of line) drop a comment below.