Adobe announced that it will not be releasing a public beta of the highly anticipated Flash Professional CS5, as had been previously stated.
In October, Adobe gave the development community a sneak peak at the forthcoming Flash Professional CS5 software, including announcing a new feature that transformed Flash into .ipa files, the native format for iPhone applications. Presumably, this feature, called the Packager for iPhone, would allow Flash developers to create web applications as usual and then transform those applications into legitimate iPhone apps.
To achieve this seemingly mammoth feat, Adobe is said to be using Ahead of Time compilation, which employs the Low Level Virtual Machine compiler, with a custom compiler front-end that understands ActionScript 3.
Buzz over this and other Flash Professional CS5 features—such as a new text layout framework and XML-based FLV files—lead to a record number of beta registrations. There were so many, in fact, that Adobe has decided not to release the beta version, in hopes of delivering a finished product sooner.
“Since the original announcement we have seen a ton of interest in Flash Professional CS5 and the included Packager for iPhone,” wrote Adrian Ludwig on the official Adobe Flash Platform Blog. “Developers in the pre-release program continue to provide great feedback and take advantage of the new features. We've also seen a number of new applications built using ActionScript 3 and delivered to the App Store.
“We are changing our plans in reaction to this strong positive feedback. We want to make sure that we can provide the earliest possible delivery of the final software to the large number of designers and developers interested in Flash Professional CS5 and the included Packager for iPhone.
“We understand that some people will be disappointed. Many of us were looking forward to a beta. But in the end, we think that what is most important is to get the release version completed and in your hands as quickly as possible.”
