Adobe has confirmed it will no longer continue to develop Flash Player for mobile devices. It will also let go of 750 employees across Europe and North America.
According to Adobe, because HTML5 has more widespread support on mobile devices, the company believes it is the best solution for delivering content in mobile browsers.
Adobe will now increase investment in HTML5 and will use Flash for gaming and premium video for desktops.
As previously reported, Adobe will also use Flash to package native mobile apps with Adobe AIR on app stores.
Adobe will still release Flash Player 11.1 for Android and the BlackBerry PlayBook, but it will cease development of the player for mobile platforms after this. It will still provide bug fixes and security updates for existing devices.
“We will continue to leverage our experience with Flash to accelerate our work with the W3C and WebKit to bring similar capabilities to HTML5 as quickly as possible, just as we have done with CSS Shaders,” said Adobe in a statement.
“And we will design new features in Flash for a smooth transition to HTML5 as the standards evolve so developers can confidently invest, knowing their skills will continue to be leveraged,” said the company.
Staff layoffs
Bloomberg reports that Adobe will cut 750 full-time jobs as it reduces its focus on older products and shifts its focus to digital publishing and web advertising.
This restructuring will cost the company between US$87m to US$94m before taxes. Details on specific locations for the job cuts have not been announced.
