Does Flash Still Matter?

I never thought I would be an apologist for the Flash platform, but it's only when something is gone do you really realize how much it means to you. Much the same way that HTML tables have gotten a bad rap due to its misuse, Flash also has a stained past. Many Flash based websites suffered from poor usability due to long-loading Flash intros, unintuitive navigation, and a lack of possibilities for SEO.

The Web 2.0 movement began a design trend towards clean, light websites along a more considerate view towards visitors with less capable browsers and mobile devices. Flash is now mostly used for interacting with entertainment, whether it's viewing a video, playing a game, or manipulating information in a Flash based infographic.



When the iPhone was released, fans of the Flash platform were disappointed that mobile Safari did not support Flash. The reason we were given was that Flash can be processor intensive, leading to decreased battery life and instability.

Everyone accepted the fact that it's impractical to have Flash on a mobile device. Yet when the iPad was released, it still did not support Flash. With recent news that Flash is coming to more mobile devices, it's becoming clear that Apple is discouraging Flash support for its mobile devices. From the beginning, Adobe has showed interest in bringing the flash platform to the iPhone. Yet it's in Apple's best interest to keep Flash off its devices. Without Flash providing the possibility to view TV shows and play free games, users of the iPhone and iPad are stuck in the Apple ecosystem, relying on the app store for games and the iTunes store for TV shows.

With HTML 5 around the corner, the question is what role will Flash play in the future of the web? We've already seen Google release an HTML 5 based video player for YouTube. It's faster, less processor intensive, and more stable. With the new canvas tag, it's possible to create animations.

But clearly, the future of the Flash platform relies on Adobe's ability to push the platform onto mobile devices. Unfortunately, if Apple gets its way, iPhone and iPad users will have a gimped internet experience.