APPLE WINS AGAIN
No matter what decision Apple makes, it seems as if they always win in the end. When Steve Jobs of Apple announced that Flash would not be supported on devices running iOS, he was heavily criticized for making a decision that may threaten Apple’s significance. However, Apple had the last laugh. Apple wisely switched over to HTML5, the new and rapidly growing technology taking the industry by storm. With its new features and flexibility, HTML5 seemed to provide much more for the future of Apple and rendered Adobe Flash Mobile irrelevant.
This real-world scenario is a prime example of the network exchange theory. This can be thought of as a 3-node network, in which the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd nodes represent Adobe Flash Mobile, Apple, and HTML5 (W3C), respectively. Since Apple represents the 2nd node, it has access to both Flash and HTML5. Therefore, Apple has the power to create an outcome that is always in its favor as it has the greatest power in the network. If Adobe decides to offer Apple less than they want, they have the power to convert to HTML5 at any time, and vice versa. This would benefit the growth of HTML5 and force Adobe to either venture without Apple or comply with their wishes. In this scenario, Adobe did not comply with Apple in the beginning, and therefore, its relevance is being questioned as it may not be up to the industry standard anymore, after years of prominence. Apple acknowledged that it was in the center of the network and held the most power, as it also had the power to prevent the exponential growth that it helped HTML5 achieve. No matter what decision that is made, knowing one’s place in a network is crucial to making smart decisions, as is the case with Apple.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/nov/09/adobe-flash-mobile-dead
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