iHaves vs iHaveNots: DAM Vendors Declare Their Allegiances
DAM vendor, MediaBeacon yesterday (15th April) announced in this press release that their product was “the only DAM solution that can run on the new Apple iPad”:
“Because other asset managers have decided to develop their solution on proprietary plug-ins like Microsoft Silverlight or Adobe Flex or Flash, they will not be able to be supported in the browser of the Apple iPhone or the new iPad,” states Jason Bright, CTO and Founder of MediaBeacon. “We see this new client moving into the business world for education, creative people, medical and corporate field personnel who need rich media — ondemand. The opportunity for people to learn, interact and communicate with this new device is endless — but only if you have solutions that are not bogged down by proprietary technology.” [Read More]
This is slightly disingenuous from MediaBeacon as there are numerous other DAM applications that do not use Flash or Silverlight and will operate on legacy browsers that do not support HTML5 too. However, we suspect that reporting that your DAM system only runs on HTML5 equipped browsers and devices (like the currently non-shipping iPad) is a story MediaBeacon are less keen for people to hear about.
What is clear is there is a dividing line now between those vendors that have nailed their colours to the Flash mast (which is now banned from the iPhone and iPad as MediaBeacon correctly point out) and those that have either selected a more universally available standard – or are adopting a “wait and see” attitude.
In our view, the iPad compatibility debate in respect of DAM solutions is a side-show, or at best a proxy for whether HTML5 will usurp Flash as the video delivery method of choice for corporate browsers – where most DAM systems will ultimately be used. How well the iPad will fare – especially as Google may be lining up to release their own device which will almost certainly support Flash, is questionable, however, the issue of corporate support for the next generation of web technologies is a more critical concern for DAM vendors and their customers.
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I don’t agree with both the op and the comment. The iPad will be a massive game changer and may finally see thin clients gaining the prominence they deserve in the enterprise market and the destruction of the M$ monopoly. You have only got to look at the rise of cloud computing to see how inevitable this trend is.
It’s clear that the iPad is now gathering some momentum at least amongst some DAM vendors, and those who use Flash/Flex interfaces are now releasing HTML5 clients. To what extent this is based on proven demand or just a desire not to be seen as failing to support a trendy new gadget is more difficult to say right now – only time will tell.