Is AIR for Android Adobe’s first step toward mobile app dominance?
Adobe is releasing its AIR application platform for Android smartphones with the goal of allowing developers to quickly release applications for multiple mobile phone platforms at once. Will Adobe AIR overrun mobile app stores everywhere?
Two years ago, Adobe launched AIR as a way for developers to create applications for both Windows and Mac computers without having to write two different versions. Now Adobe AIR also runs on Linux, so developers can deploy their applications to nearly any desktop computer by writing an AIR app.
There are dozens of applications written in Adobe AIR, though very few of them are must-have applications for every user. However it’s possible to create full featured IM applications like Digsby or social media clients such as Tweetdeck.
Once Adobe launches on other smartphone platforms, the result will likely be the same. While Adobe AIR is capable of running full-featured apps on many mobile phone platforms, it’s not likely to replace the existing app stores.
This is because of the fact that most phone users and even smartphone app developers don’t care that deeply about cross-platform compatibility. Most people choose one platform and write applications for that community, very similarly to desktop platforms.
That’s not to say that there won’t be developers that buy into Adobe AIR and write applications specifically for different platforms. However it’s difficult to make an app run on any smartphone platform and make it feel like it was made for each one.
Releasing Adobe AIR as a mobile application platform also deepens the rivalry between Adobe and Apple that started over Apple’s refusal to integrate Adobe’s Flash player into the iPhone’s browser. Adobe could create a secondary market of AIR applications outside of Apple’s App Store.
All in all, Adobe AIR for mobiles might spawn some interesting apps, but it’s not going to take over phones any more than it did PCs.
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