From my point of view, it will be incredibly disappointing for Apple to block apps developed with these third party platforms. While Apple claims that these platforms produce sub-par apps that violate user privacy, in truth they empower developers to create multi-platform applications using a single code base while tracking user behavior to better understand user needs. This kind of behavior by Apple seems downright anti-competitive, especially considering that Apple’s iPhones are in high demand. Some think that Apple is simply trying to ensure that their app store maintains its dominant position (credit to Raghu Kakarala). I’m of the opinion that Apple wants developers to get serious about Objective-C. The real benefit of this move is that these developers can create apps for the MacOS, not just the iPhone or iPad (or iTouch) and Apple can easily expand its reach.

While no can predict the future, I suspect that this move will backfire on Apple. In a recent report from AdMob, 70% of iPhone developers said that they were planning to code an app for Android but only 48% of Android developers plan to code for the iPhone. When considering the TOS changes and how Android development requires only HTML/CSS/JavaScript skills (basic web programming skills), I’m not expecting any attitudinal changes with iPhone developer. However, the number of Android developers that planned to develop for the iPhone will likely drop. NOTE: The survey is based on responses from about 100 developers which is a very small pool.

Apple is not the only company that realizes that it is all about developers. Microsoft did so years ago (see Steve Ballmer chanting “Developers, Developers, Developers” in video below). So the question remains — will Android developers agree to learn Objective-C or will they abandon the iPhone?

UPDATE: Hans Eckman pointed out that ZDNet had an article that indicated that Goggle is reaching out to iPhone developers to get them to port their apps to Android (source).

NOTE: Picture via TheiPhoneBlog.

For the non-technical person reading this post, rich media files are typically read or decoded by an external application that’s associated with your brower using a codec. With HTML5, the codec is directly embedded into the browser. This is smart approach because recent tests of HTML5 demonstrate that video playback requires fewer CPU cycles. And this translates to less expensive, longer-lasting netbooks and mobile devices since they require cheaper CPU’s or chips that consume less battery power. The downsides to this approach are a lack of support or even absence of a standard. NOTE: Internet Explorer, the most dominant browser, provided hints of HTML5/video support in a recent demo of IE9.

The reasons behind media killing Flash are based on the most recent developments in the advertising world. Several notable newspapers and magazines, including the Wall Street Journal, GQ and Men’s Health have planned to be available as digital editions when the device hits store shelves on April 3 (some are opting for special apps!). Interestingly, many of these magazines are reporting that advertisements for the premier issue have already sold out on the iPad. This is a first for traditional media to sell out of ads, who in 2009 lost 25% of page ads.

Flash is used primarily for advertising. Based on a survey by Mochi Media of 1,100 Flash developers, the majority of respondents, or 58 percent, indicated that they have advertisements within their Flash game. In fact, 2009 rich media ad spend in the US was at $2B – $3B dollars and trends indicate that rich media ad spending in 2010 will grow at a healthy clip of 5.5%. With that kind of budget, it is advertising that has the necessary financial backing to make an impact. Money talk, right?!

We’re already seeing some initial indication of what the future holds. On the video front, Brightcove released a solution this week to its Fortune 500 clients that allows for seamlessly conversion of Flash video to HTML5. Additionally, rich media ad platform Greystripe enables clients to convert existing Flash ads into the HTML5 format.

In my mind, this is the tip of the iceberg. As advertising agencies and companies turn to these offerings, Flash will become less and less necessary, and relevant.