Is the iPad Compatible With Silverlight?
The Apple iPad runs iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system. IOS also appears on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV. Microsoft Silverlight is a browser plug-in that delivers multimedia content. IOS doesn't support Silverlight as a browser plug-in or as an app. Because Silverlight is incompatible with iOS, it's incompatible with iPad.
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OS X and Silverlight
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Even though iOS doesn't support Silverlight, modern versions of Apple’s OS X do. OS X is Apple’s desktop and laptop operating system, and OS X users running Firefox or Safari are able to view Silverlight content. It's impossible to install OS X on an Apple mobile device, so attempting to gain Silverlight functionality through that route won't work.
IOS and Plug-ins
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Silverlight isn't the only plug-in produced by a major company that won't work with iOS. Adobe’s Flash is also incompatible with Apple’s mobile operating system. The incompatibility of Silverlight and especially Flash is a controversial topic in the tech world. Some iOS users who miss out on Silverlight and Flash Web content have turned to unauthorized and sometimes illegal methods to get these technologies to work together. Unfortunately, experiments of this sort void warranties and can result in inoperable devices.
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Future Compatibility
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No upcoming iOS support for Silverlight has been officially announced by either Apple or Microsoft. Apple plans on releasing the latest version of iOS, 5.0, sometime during the fall of 2011. Microsoft is set to debut Silverlight 5 by the end of 2011. There have been no indications from either side that the newest Silverlight will work with the newest iOS. If compatibility is on the way, it will almost certainly come in a later release.
Silverlight’s Future
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Microsoft is continuing to develop Silverlight despite the lack of iOS support. However, Microsoft has made it clear that it's also pursuing HTML5, a cross-platform solution that will work with iOS. A convergence of Microsoft and Apple is more likely through HTML5 than through iOS support for Silverlight.
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