Earlier this week, Adobe confirmed that it is ceasing development on Flash for mobile devices and will instead increase its investment in HTML5 and related tools. Here’s the message from Adobe:
“…HTML5 is now universally supported on major mobile devices, in some cases exclusively. This makes HTML5 the best solution for creating and deploying content in the browser across mobile platforms.” – Danny Winokur, Adobe VP and GM of Interactive Development
What does this mean to you, as developers and distributors of eLearning? In the short-term, Flash will continue to be an important part of the e-Learning developer’s tool belt; there are simply too many users out there who still rely on browsers that aren’t yet compatible with the latest HTML5 and CSS standards. So if you are using tools that output as Flash (e.g. Articulate Presenter) or you incorporate Flash into your courses, you can continue doing so as long as desktop delivery is how you plan to distribute eLearning.
The rising desire for mobile learning and the accompanying goal to efficiently “build once and deploy everywhere” aren’t feasible with a solution that anchors you and your audience to a desk. (Get up to speed with our great brief “Lessons on mLearning”). If you think your organization is going to go “mobile” in the next year, it’s time to talk to us about alternatives to Flash-based solutions.
If you are already anticipating making the switch from Flash, feel free to share with us in the comments section.
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