Apple has taken a lot of heat over the last four years due to the fact that its mobile products lack support for Adobe’s Flash platform. Since the iPhone’s introduction in 2007, not one of Apple’s mobile devices has included the plug-in.
Flash compatibility is a feature that Android device makers have often touted as an advantage over the iPhone and iPad. Well, they might want to come up with something else to brag about, as ZDNet is reporting that Adobe is canning development of mobile Flash…
Adobe is in the middle of a major restructuring, and is in the process of re-evaluating its business. According to ZDNet, that involves re-focusing on digital media and marketing, and dropping support for its mobile Flash plug-in.
Here’s Adobe’s official statement:
“Our future work with Flash on mobile devices will be focused on enabling Flash developers to package native apps with Adobe AIR for all the major app stores. We will no longer adapt Flash player for mobile devices to new browser, OS version or device configurations. Some of our source code licensees may opt to continue working on and releasing their own implementations. We will continue to support the current Android and PlayBook configurations with critical bug fixes and security updates.”
As you may recall, Steve Jobs wrote a compelling open letter in response to the criticism Apple received over its stance on Flash. Jobs listed off a number of reasons for giving Flash the cold shoulder, including poor performance, poor battery life, and major security concerns.
Instead of Flash, Jobs recommended that programmers use a more open web technology like HTML5. He believed it to be a far superior mobile platform, and it seems like Adobe now agrees with him. Along with its plans to cut mobile Flash support, the company also plans to increase its investments in HTML5.