iOS Users Really Want Flash, SkyFire Makes $1 Million in First Weekend
iOS Users Really Want Flash, SkyFire Makes $1 Million in First Weekend
Posted 11/10/2010 at 2:58pm
| by Ryan Whitwam
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SkyFire is a browser available on various smartphone platforms. It's claim to fame is that it can pull down Flash videos on the web, and stream them to your phone. The result is Flash video playing on phones that don't have access to the actual plugin. The app is free everywhere except on Apple's iOS platform, where Flash is forbidden. In its first weekend, SkyFire has managed to make almost $1 million, just $2.99 at a time.
All this is happening in the midst of SkyFire pulling the app in the face of a massive onslaught of users hitting their servers. The app returned, and the users were not deterred. After Apple's share, SkyFire will be making about $700,000. Hopefully they will be able to upgrade their backend.
They'll probably need it too. Apple doesn't look to be backing down from their no-Flash policy. For the time being, the only way to get Flash video on the iPhone is with workarounds like SkyFire. Have you tried SkyFire on iOS? Is it worth the $2.99 price tag?
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tkid124
November 11, 2010 at 6:51am
Is Flash the best thing out there? Maybe not, but we need to look at facts, it is the most used thing out there, and while I do buy some products, like my car, house, and the like for what is going to be happening in 5 years, I don't buy my phones that way, I mean come on, I get a huge discount every two years when I sign a new contract. So what I really don't understand is why Apple is failing at the principle of a company "to give the customer what they want at a profit." Larry R. O'Neal, Ph.D., Associate Professors of Marketing, Nelson Rusche College of Business, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX. Does Apple provide products that people in the market want? Obviously, they are selling many of them, however if you could have a better product by simply allowing an outside user to app to add a feature why did it take YEARS to do so? And when it comes, why does it have to be such a work around?
My wife owns an iPhone, (ducking my head in shame) she likes it, but when her contract is up, she will likely go to another phone, (yes ATT does have something to do with this) mostly because of flash, does Apple really think that they can fight the will of their customers, when they now have more than just RIM (Blackberry) to fight with, Android, Windows Phone 7, RIM's Torch, are all contenders for the "fun" & work ability of iOS.
It seems some of the posters are not a fan of flash, and that is fine. It may be true that there is better technology out there, however the content is currently in Flash, and I can bet for the next couple of years it will be as well, so why not allow your phone to use flash? I mean besides being the smartest guy on earth, why doesn't Jobs read a public opinion poll?
riopato
November 10, 2010 at 9:06pm
of windows mobile and symbian users who tested the beta of this service being left out of continued use ever since iPhone users flooded their servers. This app that I've been using since version .08, now 1.5, is currently rendered useless because Skyfire is appeasing the iTards and no word if they are dropping the group of people that help made this service what it is today!
That's no B.S.
Eoraptor
November 10, 2010 at 6:25pm
Well, it's not "true" flash, but it still proves that: hey... there's a skitload of Flash content out there on the web RIGHT NOW that every single iOS customer is cut off from but wants to view!
Yeah, pushing people off the insecure bloated Adobe teat is a nice idea in theory, but telling everyone who uses an iDevice "you'll just have to wait five years for the entirety of the internet to catch up with my vision" is a crock.
thinsoldier
November 11, 2010 at 10:13am
While I agree with you there's also the fact that nothing kills my laptop battery faster than watching a video in flash. I assume it's a similar issue on phones. Without flash my first gen iphone can barely make it through the day, so imagine if it did have flash.
I think the skyfire people could get a 2nd source of revenue going by identifying popular videos that don't have mp4 or webM alternatives and selling the converted file to the video's authors.
Deanjo
November 10, 2010 at 5:38pm
lol, nice misleading RSS title. iOS users want video content, not flash, otherwise the sales wouldn't be so heavy for SkyFire which rebroadcasts it HTML5. One could just as easily say "iOS users want more HTML5 video".
Walnut
November 10, 2010 at 5:53pm
Huh? Way to bitch about something to entirely trivial. Technically, iOS users want access to content that is conventionally available only in a Flash format, not more "HTML5 video." The conversion wouldn't even be necessary if Jobs would just get down off his high horse and bring Flash to his shitty OS. So yeah, people with iOS products would probably really like access to Flash, as is evidenced by the sales of this browser which allows them to access Flash content in an untraditional manner. It's not misleading at all.
Deanjo
November 10, 2010 at 7:49pm
Lol, way to completely miss the point. I was pointing out that it was the content that they wanted, not the delivery system. FYI, with HTML5 the video can be left in it's native format. When your converting to Flash your doing yet another re-encode of the video all the time into a propriatary container so your "The conversion wouldn't even be necessary if Jobs would just get down off his high horse and bring Flash to his shitty OS" holds no merit as if you didn't use Flash you wouldn't have to convert in the first place.
"So yeah, people with iOS products would probably really like access to Flash, as is evidenced by the sales of this browser which allows them to access Flash content in an untraditional manner. It's not misleading at all."
lol, again it is the content that they want not the delivery system. All the proof that there is that the users want to view the content. If anything that proves this is that they are satisfied with solutions such as this. HTML5 allows far more vendors to incorporate video playback over a wide range of solutions, with flash you are tied to one, Adobe's, crap-tacular playback solution.
If you think this is evidence that iOS users want flash then you might as well say people want HD content because of Comcast.
net_neutral
November 10, 2010 at 5:36pm
on every other phone, you get flash for free. With apple you have to pay for it. Apple fans have to be the most abused consumers on the planet. They are oblivious to it though, which is a good thing.
Phrish
November 10, 2010 at 4:07pm
Maybe Steve Jobs will issue a public statement slamming iPhone customers for wanting to use Flash, and telling them that they are wanting to do the wrong things on their phone. I bet Apple tries to sue someone for this... maybe they'll sue me for making this statement.
We need to act! We need to send Christian Bale to Apple headquarters and somehow, some way interrupt the steady flow of Prozium that Apple is injecting its customers with.
Those steely eyes... dead inside... dead inside...
Mister Friendly
November 10, 2010 at 3:26pm
Great story selection Ryan. Hey, tell me how Windows Phone 7 + Zune = the future again plz. All the funny in this site is ironic.
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