There was a time when Flash was the only choice for companies wanting the 'wow' factor on their website. The proprietor software became the de-facto standard for presenting video on the web, and was installed on over 98% of machines accessing the internet. Then Apple decided not to support Flash on the iPhone, or iPad due to its proprietary nature, and security/performance issues – overnight the game was changed.
Many boldly predicted that Apple's refusal to support Flash would be the death-knell for the software and so, just 18 months later it comes as no surprise that Adobe (who now own Flash) have halted development of Flash for mobile devices.
While this doesn't affect companies who have adopted 'classic' HTML sites, many businesses who once opted for the 'flash' factor are now finding themselves in a poor position in the burgeoning mobile arena. With mobile usage set to grow at a fantastic pace, those with Flash sites are needlessly excluding customers (with iPhones at least).
While it's certainly not 'game over' for Flash sites, businesses who haven't yet made the move may want to give some real thought to embracing a Flash-free future, and take their place in the mobile world among their competitors.
To find out how mobile-friendly your website is, contact Pete Jones.