Web-based YouTube coming to iPhone Safari
updated 09:55 am EDT, Mon March 31, 2008
iPhone adds web YouTube
Apple's anticipated iPhone 2.0 firmware will add some form of YouTube support within Safari, accounts say. Apple recently began distributing an updated version of the iPhone firmware to accompany the latest version of the SDK, and YouTube is now said to be accessible through a plug-in for MobileSafari.app. Traditionally, iPhone and iPod touch users have had to access YouTube from a separate, custom application, which also only links specially-formatted videos.
Still to be confirmed by developers is whether the plug-in simply provides an integrated web version of the current application, or whether it somehow introduces a form of Flash support. The public iPhone version of Safari does not presently support Flash, mainly due to concerns over battery consumption. Adobe, however, has said it is building a variant of the software that will be downloadable after the App Store goes live in June.
Reports additionally indicate that the SDK comes with a new version of WebKit, the rendering engine behind Safari. That component is at v525.15 in the SDK, only a few versions behind the desktop WebKit's v526.1. Recently, an experimental desktop build reached a perfect Acid3 score.
Skeptical
03/31, 11:07am reply
For Mobile Safari to play YouTube videos, Safari would either need to support Flash, or it'd need to use the "specially formated videos." It's almost guaranteed that it iPhone 2.0 won't support Flash, based on reports from Adobe that they were going to try and do Flash for iPhone on their own.
If YouTube on Mobile Safari still required the specially formatted videos, users wouldn't have access to a larger library than they would through the dedicated app, so what's the point in using Safari instead of the YouTube app?
jimothy
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2000
Re: skeptical
03/31, 11:21am reply
Well, one benefit would be that you wouldn't have to leave your browser to open the youtube gallery (esp if someone posts a link to a video in an email or blog or whatnot).
And I don't understand why half of this would be that hard. Supposedly YouTube is changing their videos to H.264 (or whatever it is), which is supported by Quicktime. So wouldn't the converted videos just play anyway?
testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
"Traditionally"?!
03/31, 12:13pm reply
"Traditionally, iPhone and iPod touch users have had to access YouTube…"
"Traditionally"?! That's like saying that "traditionally" people read with their eyes open :-D There's no other option…
ajhoughton
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2004
re: "Traditionally"?!
03/31, 12:24pm reply
"That's like saying that "traditionally" people read with their eyes open :-D There's no other option…"
Not really. Blind people read with their fingers.
koolkid1976
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2003