Adobe Abandons Flash on Mobile Browsers

I can’t say I’m “surprised” about this announcement from Adobe.  Flash has been unavailable and/or difficult to use in the mobile browser ever since mobile platforms had browsers.  With Apple not supporting plug-ins from the beginning, and Microsoft following their lead, it would make sense for Adobe to pull Flash support for the mobile browser… even though I agree with this Sitepoint article when it says “Ironically, the latest modern smartphones and tablets should be powerful enough to run Flash.”

I am definitely disappointed, though, being a Flash/Flex developer myself.  Not because it is “the end”, because it certainly isn’t.  I am disappointed because of the repercussions this has for Flash’s reputation.  I keep seeing people writing things like “Flash is dead” and “Adobe pulls Flash on mobile” but both are misconceptions.  Here are a few thoughts:

  1. Flash itself is not dead.  As a matter of fact, not much has changed for the Flash platform.  The Flash player is still around and will continue to be developed for the desktop browser.
  2. Adobe is continuing development for Adobe Air, which allows Flash applications to be published on mobile devices.  The only difference is that the player will no longer be developed for the mobile browser in the future.  This is a good call in my opinion because Flash was never really meant to be used this way in the first place.
  3. Mobile browsers for iOS and Windows Mobile do not support ANY plugins at all.  This not only includes Flash, but Java, Silverlight and Quicktime as well.  Flash has just been the most public because of the controversy that has sprung up as a result… and who doesn’t love a good controversy?

Although this may be a rocky point in the history of Flash, it could mean a new beginning for the platform.  It seems as if Adobe is (and has been) refocusing their vision for Flash as being less of a plugin for browsers and more of an enterprise application solution by utilizing Adobe Air.  I am optimistic about the future, but I would be lying if I said this hasn’t shaken my faith in Adobe a little bit.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 10th, 2011 at 1:39 amand is filed under Adobe, Flash/Flex, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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