HTML5: “Flash May You Rest in Peace”

I have recently read that Google is not worried about not continuing support for Flash beyond its newest Android mobile OS version nicknamed “Ice Cream Sandwich”. The Flash support was a winning ticket for the Android mobile OS over its rival the iPhone.. But since Adobe is officially turning off Flash support on mobile as confirmed by an announcement from ZDNET. The question of “What is Next for Animation for mobiles or on any other site, since having a mobile friendly site is the norm, lingers into the minds of every marketeer.

Is it really dead ?

What every single person in marketing knows is that Flash has always been the WOW tool, every small advert or an interactive gimmick for any product or service was done in Flash. To react to Adobe’s decision to stop Flash development for mobile by shifting focus into more functional content or use HTML5 is not something that many can do. Google can, they have the resources for it, but what about all those agencies who’s main line of creativity is built with Flash?.
The amount of development those agencies have put into hiring and deploying flash developers is tremendous. The open community, sites that offer free flash animation, the rich resources that are available for fast implementation, and again, the lack of a real and prominent alternative.

HTML5

Having seen and worked a little with what can be achieved using HTML5, I must say it is promising and might surely prove to be an efficient and a more universal way to show animation. However, I still question the amount of time that the industry will have to endure until the level of interactivity and creativity with HTML5 can reach that of Flash, if any. I also question the investment from various businesses to convert what is considered as an effective medium to another that is yet to reach that level of maturity.

The Web Is Innovation

I am not denying change, and we have all witnessed how the WEB has evolved from static sites, to dynamic ones, to flashy versions, and now into mobile. Companies have and will always invest in innovative ways to promote their products and services. Since consumers are more into mobile, companies will develop sites that work best on mobiles and avoid using Flash if that is how Adobe choose to monopolize the Web market.

However, this does not mean Flash is Dead!. A billion dollar gaming industry is built on Flash, millions on interactive Online courses and training material that are done with Flash and will still be accessible on laptops and computers as confirmed by Adobe. What this means is that we just need to continue being innovative. We need to continue developing sites that harness the best of what technologies can offer, and find alternatives and adhere to standards or restrictions that each marketing channel will enforce on our overall marketing strategy….

Read more:

• State of the Web: Flash vs HTML5