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Apple: Not preinstalling Flash on Macs ensures users have latest version

Apple has issued an official comment on the lack of preinstalled Adobe Flash on the newly released MacBook Air and all future Macs, saying the change was done to ensure that users always have the latest version of Flash by downloading directly from Adobe.

Earlier this week, when it was discovered the new MacBook Air models ship without Flash installed, some assumed the change was made because of the ongoing rivalry between Adobe and Apple. But Apple spokesman Bill Evans gave Engadget an official comment on Friday saying otherwise.

"We're happy to continue to support Flash on the Mac, and the best way for users to always have the most up to date and secure version is to download it directly from Adobe," Evans reportedly said.

He also went on to say that all Macs in the future will not have Adobe Flash preinstalled, though it was said that some hardware already in the channels may come with Flash.

Apple and Adobe have been at odds in 2010, in a feud that gained considerable steam after Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs published an open letter criticizing Flash as old technology that is unfit for the modern era of mobile computers. Apple does not allow Flash onto its iOS-powered devices, including the iPhone and iPad.

Jobs also revealed that Flash is the number one reason for crashes on the Mac platform. For its part, Adobe fired back and said that any crashes of Flash in Mac OS X are not related to its software, but are instead the fault of Apple's operating system.