Adobe Systems Inc. announced today that it will be ending development on its Flash Player plug-in for mobile devices. Instead, Adobe will be pushing developers to their Adobe Air platform and will embrace HTML5, signifying the end of the “Flash era.”
Flash became a dominant platform because it allowed developers to code interactive games and deliver video to browsers with the plug-in installed, without the need to code specifically for that browser. The “one size fits all” model was helpful to programmers because they were able to create software that could be used across multiple platforms. This is much easier than learning the native language for each operating systems and coding versions of the product specified for that OS, developers have long complained about the loss in app performance when coding in a non-native language. But now with the development of Javascript CSS and HTML5, video is supported automatically. Because of this, many browsers are turning their backs on Flash and moving forward. As Adobe Vice President Danny Winokur states “HTML5 is now universally supported on major mobile devices, in some cases exclusively…This makes HTML5 the best solution for creating and deploying content in the browser across mobile platforms. We are excited about this, and will continue our work with key players in the HTML community, including Google, Apple, Microsoft and RIM, to drive HTML5 innovation they can use to advance their mobile browsers.”
Adobe’s move away from Flash is a complete turnaround for the company that has previously championed Flash. But the transition was actually predicted by the late Steve Jobs who wrote a 1,500 word essay against Flash as being inherently unstable on mobile browsers and a huge drain on battery life. Indeed, Apple has been the biggest anti-Flash proponent; not supporting it on any of their iOS devices such as the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.
This announcement comes on the heels of another: Adobe will be cutting 750 jobs. This “corporate restructuring” will indeed shape a new company with very different goals moving forward. In the end, it seems as Flash is technology from a bygone age. Innovative in its time, but ultimately unfit for a world that is increasingly dependent on mobile devices.
WOW HE DIDN’T SAY ITOUCH ZOMG HE HAS A BRAIN
You are a fucking idiot. What exactly Jobs “predicted”? They cut off flash from their platform, I’d hardly call that as a prediction moron. Go to and learn a bit more before jumping on the spitty bandwagon sucker.