Was wondering how you plan to deal with the increasing amount of iPad users. I know that in my company they are running pilots with them but my Articulate courses won't run on them :( Are you looking into a Publish for iPad or other solution like publishing a course to HMTL5 or something like that?
Maybe an experienced MAC user can help me out here.
Are SWF movies made in Captivate 5 able to play back using the Web Object tool on a straight MAC computer. (Not an iPAD) I have MAC end users reporting they cannot open our movies. Our PC users can open them just fine?
Is there a setting I am missing in the Web Object tool for mac users? These users have the current Flash player installed.
Thanks for the replies. I will try to have them test a movie outside of Articulate and let you know. I am on another project now so as soon as I can get time to troubleshoot , I will. I just found out that we have all these extrenal MAC users and support calls coming in.
Well, with the way they put a dual core processor in the iPad2, it kind of nullifies Steve Jobs's assertion that mobile devices aren't build for processor heavy tasks. It seems to me that Apple can no longer argue that Flash is too heavyweight for the iPad.
Was in a meeting last week and one of our divisions may be buying quite a few Blackberry Playbooks when it comes out next month. Their feeling was the iPad is nice but, for business, Blackberry is the way to go (we already have quite a few users here on other Blackberry devices already). They felt (and, Apple Fanboys, don't beat up the messenger here : ) ) that the iPad was a nice consumer tool but not for business.
Articulate should run great on the Playbook - or any other Android based slate for that matter. I'm curious to see how your users like the experience of eLearning on the tablet. I'd expect that these might present some unique design conditions for an optimized experience. It'll be interesting to see how all of this shakes out - how people use the devices for skill acquisition and task support.
As for Apple not being good for business. I think it depends on the business task / sector. If you're a Microsoft centric business, Apple may not be as great a choice as the alternatives. If you're an independant - you'll probably make due with whatever is comfortable and affordable
I like my iPad. But for now it's really just a toy with some useful productivity features - I've avoided putting any productivity tools on my iPad that aren't also available on my laptop / desktop. It just gives me a choice to use the heavy artillery or the light recon model.
@will from what I understand, the biggest issue with Flash on a mobile device is that it's a battery drainer. Personally, I think they should have added flash support so they could have shown people how much it drains the battery life and had customers push for a better standard.
I think it would be a huge mistake any company to ignore the iPad. What was the # of 1st gen iPad units sold, 15 million? The Playbook won't touch that, it just won't. RIM seems to be making the same ego-centric mistake regarding the Blackberry that Sony made with the Playstation 3. Sony thought they thought the were kings of the hill in the console game, and didn't think that the user experience on the Xbox 360 would be enough to hurt them. Well it was. Now Microsoft dominates the console market.
Just like Microsoft offered a slick user interface for the Xbox 360, Apple created a slick and very intuitive interface for the iPad and iPhone. Add to that, more business personnel are using iPads every day, and more business-centric apps are being developed. BTW the are 65,000 iPad specific apps and only 100 Android apps. People like variety and options.
Plus, the Playbook is 7" is size with a 5" screen. That's only 1" larger than most top of the line smart phones. Why pay so much for a device that's only a little larger than a Blackberry storm? There's not much of an advantage to having one BB device over another. Whereas the iPad is a significant step up from the iPhone, or any smart phone for that matter.
Toolbook, one of Articulates main competitors, already allows you to publish to HTML for the iPad. Add to that they can also handle Captivate 5 AS3 .swf files perfectly fine, and import PowerPoint decks. Articulate needs to step it up. Versatility is the key to survival in an fast-changing world.
Some good and fair points made... but I think your app numbers are off.
The latest count shows Apple has 350K apps and Android has 250K. That is a 100K difference but the vast majority of those Apple apps are not designed for iPad; they will work but the experience isn't great. Also Android is gaining new apps at a much faster pace then Apple and should surpass Apple in a few months.
Those numbers I referred to were tablet specific. When we talk about tablet specific apps, the Android number around 100, where iPad is around 65,000.
I really like Articulate. At the very least, they need to design their software to handle the top two mobile OS platforms. Android has caught up to iOS. They are on every carrier and multiple phones. Android and iOS will almost split the mobile market down the middle, with notable exceptions. As a company, you can be ahead of the ball or behind it. Right now Articulate is behind it, whereas other companies like SumTotal and Rapid Intake are ahead blazing the path for elearning on every device.
On a side note, I fully expect Android tablets to make there mark this year. This is one reason I think Apple only made minor updates other iPad for the 2nd generation. I think iPad 3 to be a major upgrade based on what the competition brings this year.
I find it very amusing how Apple can choose to not allow flash based items on their devices and that they expect the entire world to conform to their needs. You're asking Articulate to re-write it's programming to support one brand of devices. While you’re at it why not ask the entire world to change all web based applications that have flash and shockwave. Gee how many educational and training web sites support flash? I can't count the amount blogs I've read where people are trying to solve the issue of being able to view flash items on the iPad. Maybe you need to ask apple to build an app that will allow flash to run on their devices. After all I don't think that flash is going away anytime soon. Especially with all of the multimedia products I use and not a one of them produce in HTML 5 format. I couldn't afford to repurchase all of the software for the new versions anyway. Good grief...
So asking a direct question about Apple's determination to NOT allow swfs to play on their mobile devices. Why? did i miss something here? i work for a very large company in which i create training. I would love to offer my student population the option of accessing swfs in the materials through an iPad. What is up with Apple? Someone please explain.
I guess when you're Steve Jobs you don't have to explain yourself??
I can feel your pain, though. We have many of the training teams using our LMS that are beginning to realize that almost all of the training content they've developed over the last 2 or 3 years will not (probably never, ever ever) work on the new iPhone and iPad devices being rolled out by our company.
So asking a direct question about Apple's determination to NOT allow swfs to play on their mobile devices. Why? did i miss something here? i work for a very large company in which i create training. I would love to offer my student population the option of accessing swfs in the materials through an iPad. What is up with Apple? Someone please explain.
Hi Susan and welcome to Heroes,
Apple basically claims that the mobile version of the Flash Player drains power and is a memory hog. It also has to do with Apple believing that HTML5 is the future of the web. Essentially, they don't want a "plugin" to be required to view content on the web.
So if you want to be as rich as Steve Jobs you could build an app that runs flash on istuff. Oh wait, Apple probalby wouldn't approve it for release anyway. Did apple by stock in HTML 5?
Lots of factors at play in Apple's decision. Here's what I see:
Business decision: Adobe and Apple are competitors in some spaces - Flash is a contendor in a few of these spaces. Killing Flash softly is in Apples interests. With HTML5 hitting, there's an opportunity to shop this as the ideal alternative. Unfortunately, it's only a convincing argument on paper:P
Performance decision: Flash affects portable device performance. This is the truth. But so does a full-tilt 3D game. I see those deployed so this is a weaker argument.
Business decision: Apple wants to control the app space on their device (in part because they take a cut of all sales through their app store). The benefits include more consistent support / reliability. If something doesn't work or work well -- the support risks go up.
Personal decision: It's Apple's device. You just lease it with a single payment and the lease lasts until it doesn't work anymore or you're enticed into buying a newer model. They control all you see (Outer Limits style). I call this effective arrogance if they are successful. Destructive arrogance if they aren't. Since they didn't have any competitors in the space that could touch the elegance of the device, the former applies logically in every case. Market share is a pretty powerful motivator.
BTW - if I were another device I'd use Apple's Orwellian device control against them in a marketing campaign. Apple's done most of the work on that front
The decision only sucks for solution providers. Most users don't notice. And since solution providers are normally the customers of folks like Adobe, it's no skin off Apple's back. They really don't have anything to lose as long as they control the space. I suspect once more attractive competitors enter the scene, Apple may change their tune and bend towards customer choice. Let's just hope this happens soon
So if you want to be as rich as Steve Jobs you could build an app that runs flash on istuff. Oh wait, Apple probalby wouldn't approve it for release anyway. Did apple by stock in HTML 5?
HTML5 is an open web standard.
In the big scheme of things, Flash isn't going anywhere any time soon. As a comparison, Microsoft is just now getting people off of IE6. Also, Flash Player is installed on approximately 99% of internet-enabled Desktops and many other devices. With that being said, even Adobe knows that HTML5 is going to be the future and they'll eventually transition their tools to output to both SWF and HTML5.
209 Replies
Hi Will-
Yes, check this out:
Here's what #Articulate content looks like on a Flash-enabled mobile device (Droid X with Android 2.2)
And nice image.
iPad - A Game Changer for Learning? (Blog post)
Interesting... your thoughts?
http://www.learningwithoutfrontiers.com/blog/2010/11/23/ipad-a-game-changer-for-learning.html
@will
That image is awesome.
Yes Articulate works great on my Android phone and my Google TV (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCG0VeLqp2w)
Oddly this forum does not... try as I might to click in the textbox to type my reply it will not work on Android...
Maybe an experienced MAC user can help me out here.
Are SWF movies made in Captivate 5 able to play back using the Web Object tool on a straight MAC computer. (Not an iPAD) I have MAC end users reporting they cannot open our movies. Our PC users can open them just fine?
Is there a setting I am missing in the Web Object tool for mac users? These users have the current Flash player installed.
Hi Mary Ann,
I haven't had any trouble viewing Articulate with embedded swfs on my mac.
Are you getting any error messages?
If you will post a link I will take a look at it for you.
James
One useful troubleshooting step: can they view the Captivate generated SWFs when they are not embedded in Articulate?
Thanks for the replies. I will try to have them test a movie outside of Articulate and let you know. I am on another project now so as soon as I can get time to troubleshoot , I will. I just found out that we have all these extrenal MAC users and support calls coming in.
Hello friends,
does anybody have seen iPad2's keynote?
What do you think about?
Well, with the way they put a dual core processor in the iPad2, it kind of nullifies Steve Jobs's assertion that mobile devices aren't build for processor heavy tasks. It seems to me that Apple can no longer argue that Flash is too heavyweight for the iPad.
Question--what about Articulate on Blackberry's?
Was in a meeting last week and one of our divisions may be buying quite a few Blackberry Playbooks when it comes out next month. Their feeling was the iPad is nice but, for business, Blackberry is the way to go (we already have quite a few users here on other Blackberry devices already). They felt (and, Apple Fanboys, don't beat up the messenger here : ) ) that the iPad was a nice consumer tool but not for business.
Articulate should run great on the Playbook - or any other Android based slate for that matter. I'm curious to see how your users like the experience of eLearning on the tablet. I'd expect that these might present some unique design conditions for an optimized experience. It'll be interesting to see how all of this shakes out - how people use the devices for skill acquisition and task support.
As for Apple not being good for business. I think it depends on the business task / sector. If you're a Microsoft centric business, Apple may not be as great a choice as the alternatives. If you're an independant - you'll probably make due with whatever is comfortable and affordable
I like my iPad. But for now it's really just a toy with some useful productivity features - I've avoided putting any productivity tools on my iPad that aren't also available on my laptop / desktop. It just gives me a choice to use the heavy artillery or the light recon model.
@will from what I understand, the biggest issue with Flash on a mobile device is that it's a battery drainer. Personally, I think they should have added flash support so they could have shown people how much it drains the battery life and had customers push for a better standard.
I think it would be a huge mistake any company to ignore the iPad. What was the # of 1st gen iPad units sold, 15 million? The Playbook won't touch that, it just won't. RIM seems to be making the same ego-centric mistake regarding the Blackberry that Sony made with the Playstation 3. Sony thought they thought the were kings of the hill in the console game, and didn't think that the user experience on the Xbox 360 would be enough to hurt them. Well it was. Now Microsoft dominates the console market.
Just like Microsoft offered a slick user interface for the Xbox 360, Apple created a slick and very intuitive interface for the iPad and iPhone. Add to that, more business personnel are using iPads every day, and more business-centric apps are being developed. BTW the are 65,000 iPad specific apps and only 100 Android apps. People like variety and options.
Plus, the Playbook is 7" is size with a 5" screen. That's only 1" larger than most top of the line smart phones. Why pay so much for a device that's only a little larger than a Blackberry storm? There's not much of an advantage to having one BB device over another. Whereas the iPad is a significant step up from the iPhone, or any smart phone for that matter.
Toolbook, one of Articulates main competitors, already allows you to publish to HTML for the iPad. Add to that they can also handle Captivate 5 AS3 .swf files perfectly fine, and import PowerPoint decks. Articulate needs to step it up. Versatility is the key to survival in an fast-changing world.
@James
Some good and fair points made... but I think your app numbers are off.
The latest count shows Apple has 350K apps and Android has 250K. That is a 100K difference but the vast majority of those Apple apps are not designed for iPad; they will work but the experience isn't great. Also Android is gaining new apps at a much faster pace then Apple and should surpass Apple in a few months.
http://www.businessinsider.com/charts-of-the-week-ipad-competition-is-toast-2011-3#google-is-closing-the-gap-on-apples-app-store-3
Agreed. Working hard on it. Stay tuned.
@James Kingsly
Those numbers I referred to were tablet specific. When we talk about tablet specific apps, the Android number around 100, where iPad is around 65,000.
I really like Articulate. At the very least, they need to design their software to handle the top two mobile OS platforms. Android has caught up to iOS. They are on every carrier and multiple phones. Android and iOS will almost split the mobile market down the middle, with notable exceptions. As a company, you can be ahead of the ball or behind it. Right now Articulate is behind it, whereas other companies like SumTotal and Rapid Intake are ahead blazing the path for elearning on every device.
On a side note, I fully expect Android tablets to make there mark this year. This is one reason I think Apple only made minor updates other iPad for the 2nd generation. I think iPad 3 to be a major upgrade based on what the competition brings this year.
I find it very amusing how Apple can choose to not allow flash based items on their devices and that they expect the entire world to conform to their needs. You're asking Articulate to re-write it's programming to support one brand of devices. While you’re at it why not ask the entire world to change all web based applications that have flash and shockwave. Gee how many educational and training web sites support flash? I can't count the amount blogs I've read where people are trying to solve the issue of being able to view flash items on the iPad. Maybe you need to ask apple to build an app that will allow flash to run on their devices. After all I don't think that flash is going away anytime soon. Especially with all of the multimedia products I use and not a one of them produce in HTML 5 format. I couldn't afford to repurchase all of the software for the new versions anyway. Good grief...
So asking a direct question about Apple's determination to NOT allow swfs to play on their mobile devices. Why? did i miss something here? i work for a very large company in which i create training. I would love to offer my student population the option of accessing swfs in the materials through an iPad. What is up with Apple? Someone please explain.
Someone told me this morning that it is all based on a "bust-up" that Jobs had with Adobe years ago, and they never solved it.
They may talk about Flash being processor-hungry etc., but in the end it's possibly just a silly argument.
Seen it many times in IT - too many egos
Bruce
I guess when you're Steve Jobs you don't have to explain yourself??
I can feel your pain, though. We have many of the training teams using our LMS that are beginning to realize that almost all of the training content they've developed over the last 2 or 3 years will not (probably never, ever ever) work on the new iPhone and iPad devices being rolled out by our company.
Hi Susan and welcome to Heroes,
Apple basically claims that the mobile version of the Flash Player drains power and is a memory hog. It also has to do with Apple believing that HTML5 is the future of the web. Essentially, they don't want a "plugin" to be required to view content on the web.
So if you want to be as rich as Steve Jobs you could build an app that runs flash on istuff. Oh wait, Apple probalby wouldn't approve it for release anyway. Did apple by stock in HTML 5?
Lots of factors at play in Apple's decision. Here's what I see:
BTW - if I were another device I'd use Apple's Orwellian device control against them in a marketing campaign. Apple's done most of the work on that front
The decision only sucks for solution providers. Most users don't notice. And since solution providers are normally the customers of folks like Adobe, it's no skin off Apple's back. They really don't have anything to lose as long as they control the space. I suspect once more attractive competitors enter the scene, Apple may change their tune and bend towards customer choice. Let's just hope this happens soon
HTML5 is an open web standard.
In the big scheme of things, Flash isn't going anywhere any time soon. As a comparison, Microsoft is just now getting people off of IE6. Also, Flash Player is installed on approximately 99% of internet-enabled Desktops and many other devices. With that being said, even Adobe knows that HTML5 is going to be the future and they'll eventually transition their tools to output to both SWF and HTML5.
So ther's the big money idea... Be the deveolper that creates the software that converts flash to HTML 5.