Mac no longer are going to be shipped with Flash installed and Adobe announced it’s no longer going to develop Flash for mobile platforms.  Does this spell the end for Flash? Maybe.  But not so fast…

Flash is Ubiquitous…

…but only on PCs.  And while Flash has an unbeatable share on the Windows platform, how long is it going to be until developers decide to find an alternative way to code their websites or applications so that they don’t have to do so twice?  We are already seeing a small erosion of Flash, IMHO, because iPhones and iPad simply don’t support the plugin. Now that Macs aren’t going to be shipped with Flash, it makes getting people to Flash content every so slightly more difficult.

What to Do?

In planning for the future I don’t think Flash will dissappear anytime soon.  But I do think over time we will start to see Flash replaced by HTML5 and other technology that will render across all devices.   So I will tell you what I tell my clients at least when it comes to website development.  Because Apple devices are basically going to be Flash-free, it’s critical that any important website content such as main navigation and contact information are displayed in an alternative format.

Conclusion

Flash is awesome for making a website interactive.  But with a host of other excellent tools already available and coming down the pipe, I have a hard time thinking that much new development is going to be done for Flash simply due to the fact that mobile devices will no longer support the product.  If Adobe won’t back Flash on the mobile platform, developers are going to find other ways to get things done.  So does this spell the end of Flash?  Yes. In the future.  But not anytime soon.