Flash is Dead? Adobe Takes Flash Out of Mobile Devices as Developers Look to HTML5
Adobe has made its most decisive move yesterday with regard to the future of Flash; announcing that it would be terminating the platform for use in mobile devices.
For a rapidly growing segment of the market, smartphones and tablets are now becoming the first choice for many when accessing online information services.
The shift comes as other developers are already developing software for HTML5. Using this platform will allow online content to reach the rapidly growing and diverse mobile online market. But is it too late?
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Adobe said in a statement the move was intended "to drive increased Digital Marketing bookings, which are recognized as recurring revenue, the company will reduce its investment, and expected license revenue, in certain enterprise solution product lines."
In other words; an end to Flash as we know it.
Using that logic Flash was a poor choice from the start. Apple iOS and Windows mobile never supported it and of those devices that did support it, HP's TouchPad and RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook, they performed so poorly users would just configure their browsers to only download Flash content when the really needed to.
With Google, Apple and Microsoft already integrating new developer applications, the deck is stacked against Adobe to keep pace.
Adobe this week sent a clear message to developers stating they should begin phasing out investment in the Flash platform not just for mobile devices but for the desktop as well. HTML5 is now entrenched in many web based platforms and AIR is widely available. Meanwhile, Adobe has no HTML5 tools to offer to take over Flash's professional place.
Yet, that might not hinder the growth of Adobe after all. Remember, Flash Player is a free download. The way it turns a profit is by monetizing the platform by selling content-creation tools. This luckily is something it can still do for HTML5.
