Flash CS5 will have the ability to create iPhone applications

Adobe announced yesterday that in the up and coming Flash Pro CS5 you will have the capability to create iPhone applications from Flash. The beta will hopefully be available towards the end of the year.  This will allow developers with Actionscript 3 (AS3) knowledge to develop iPhone apps with ease. Flash will tap into multi-touch features, accelerometer etc offering some exciting potential.

Not only can new applications be created but previously developed Flash games or apps can now be published in the iPhone format. It also works the other way around; if a Flash application has been developed for the iPhone it can also be published as a file for the web or cross platform desktop application using AIR.

So is Flash now supported on the iPhone?

No. The new Flash CS5 Pro will only allow developers to package what they have created in Flash and publish them in a native iPhone application format. Users will still not be able to view Flash files through the built-in Safari browser.

This sounds like great news for Flash developers. I think we’ll see a lot more iPhone applications being submitted for approval when Flash CS5 Pro is out!

There is of course a little bit more to it than just publishing an iPhone app straight out of Flash. Firstly, you need, of course, to be a member of the iPhone Developer Program, then make sure your app follows the developer guidelines, and then finally you’ll need to submit the application for approval on the App Store!

There is a good post about the new release on Mike Chambers blog called  Building Applications for the iPhone with Flash which has a bit more of a technical overview.

Some useful links:

Applications for iPhone (Adobe Labs website)

Adobe Flash Professional CS5