Let's just call it quits.

In a statement explaining why the iPhone cannot be used to view most online videos (with the general exception of those on YouTube), Steve Jobs said Apple awaits a technology superior to Flash.

Labeling the action a stab in Adobe's back, tech blog Scobleizer points out that most of the world's casual games are written for Flash.

But the mobile Flash player, originally developed for bigger machines, would simply slow the iPhone down, Jobs argued.

"There's this missing product in the middle," he said.

This Thursday developers and Apple fans anticipated the debut of a software update that would enable Flash on the iPhone. Those expectations will clearly not be met, but it's possible Apple will build a competitor to both Flash and Silverlight, the Microsoft alternative slated to appear in Nokia's Symbian-based phones, reports the BBC.

CNN observes Apple and Adobe suffer from a history of strained relations.