Adobe AIR

Adobe AIR
Original author(s)Adobe Inc.
Developer(s)
Initial releaseFebruary 25, 2008; 16 years ago (2008-02-25)
Stable release
51.1.1.5[1][2] / September 18, 2024; 2 months ago (2024-09-18)
Preview release
33.1.1.932 / N/A
Operating system
PlatformIA-32, x86-64, ARM, and MIPS
Available inChinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish[6]
TypeRuntime environment
LicenseProprietary[7]
Websiteairsdk.harman.com

Adobe AIR (also known as Adobe Integrated Runtime and codenamed Apollo) is a cross-platform runtime system currently developed by Harman International, in collaboration with Adobe Inc., for building desktop applications and mobile applications, programmed using Adobe Animate, ActionScript, and optionally Apache Flex. It was originally released in 2008. The runtime supports installable applications on Windows, macOS, and mobile operating systems, including Android, iOS, and BlackBerry Tablet OS.

AIR is a runtime environment that allows Adobe Animate content and ActionScript 3.0 coders to construct applications and video games that run as a stand-alone executable and behave similarly to a native application on supported platforms. An HTML5 application used in a browser does not require installation, while AIR applications require installation from an installer file (Windows and OS X) or the appropriate App Store (iOS and Android). AIR applications have unrestricted access to local storage and file systems, while browser-based applications only have access to individual files selected by users.[8]

AIR internally uses a shared codebase with the Flash Player rendering engine and ActionScript 3.0 as the primary programming language. Applications must specifically be built for AIR to use additional features provided, such as multi-touch, file system integration, native client extensions, integration with Taskbar or Dock, and access to accelerometer and GPS devices.[9] HTML5 applications may run on the WebKit engine included in AIR.

Notable applications built with Adobe AIR include eBay Desktop, Pandora One desktop,[10][11] TweetDeck,[12] the former Adobe Media Player,[12] Angry Birds,[13] and Machinarium,[14] among other multimedia and task management applications.[15] According to Adobe, over 100,000 unique applications have been built on AIR, and over 1 billion installations of the same were logged from users across the world, as of May 2014.[16][17] Adobe AIR was voted as the Best Mobile Application Development product at the Consumer Electronics Show for two consecutive years (CES 2014 and CES 2015).[18][19]

In June 2019, Adobe announced it would begin transitioning ongoing support and development of Adobe AIR to Harman. Adobe will continue to provide support for versions 32 and earlier until the end of 2020, as support will be managed by Harman.[20]

  1. ^ "Adobe Partnership". Harman. Harman International. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  2. ^ "Download Adobe AIR SDK 51.1". Harman. Harman International. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  3. ^ "Harman - Adobe Partnership - HARMAN". services.harman.com. Retrieved April 10, 2020. AIR 33 is now released on a commercial basis, and supports 64-bit Android devices and the latest Play Store requirements.
  4. ^ "End of Support Notice". BlackBerry Ltd. April 15, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  5. ^ "Adobe AIR and Linux: Increasing Distribution on Devices". Adobe Blog website. Adobe Inc. Retrieved June 14, 2011. We will no longer be releasing our own versions of Adobe AIR and the AIR SDK for desktop Linux, but expect that one or more of our partners will do so. The last Adobe release of AIR for desktop Linux is AIR 2.6. By focusing on the porting kit and support of partner implementations, we expect to provide broader support for AIR across Linux-based PCs and devices, whereas our own desktop Linux releases have accounted for less than 0.5% of lifetime AIR downloads.
  6. ^ "Tech specs and system requirements | Adobe AIR". Adobe Systems. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  7. ^ "Adobe AIR 1.1 EULA" (PDF). Adobe Systems. February 4, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  8. ^ "Adobe AIR: Browser vs. Desktop". Adobe Systems. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  9. ^ Adobe AIR 3, Adobe
  10. ^ "Upgrade Pandora Subscription to Plus or Premium". www.pandora.com.
  11. ^ Top 10 Apps Worth Installing Adobe AIR For, LifeHacker
  12. ^ a b 10 impressive Adobe AIR apps, CNET
  13. ^ Flash Games Showcased at Adobe MAX- Rovio’s Angry Birds & Epic Games, Adobe Digital Media Blog
  14. ^ Adobe AIR showcase apps for mobile developers, Adobe Developer Connection
  15. ^ 60+ Useful Adobe AIR Applications You Should Know, HongKiat.com
  16. ^ AIR app installs cross a billion, Adobe AIR and Adobe Flash Player Team Blog
  17. ^ 1 Billion AIR Installations, Ben Forta
  18. ^ Compass Intelligence Announces Winners of the 2014 Mobility Awards, Compass Intelligence
  19. ^ Compass Intelligence Announces Winners of the 2015 Mobility Awards, Compass Intelligence
  20. ^ "The Future of Adobe AIR". Adobe Blog. May 30, 2019. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.