Is Adobe Flash dead?
Adobe Flash has been suffering death by a thousand cuts for several years now. And, it appears that Google is responsible for the latest blow announcing it is killing off Flash advertising in its browser.
Adobe Flash has been suffering death by a thousand cuts for several years now. And, it appears that Google is responsible for the latest blow announcing it is killing off Flash advertising in its browser.
As of 1st September 2015, any Google ad that uses the technology will require users to click it to play, otherwise it will remain frozen. Google is the latest among many big-name platforms, including YouTube and Amazon, to make the official split away from Flash. Death seems imminent and many say it deserves to go.
Problems with Adobe Flash
Flash has indeed done a lot for the web as a web animation and entertainment platform, but recent years have shown that it is time to move on.
As other components of a web browser and operating system have become more secure over time, Flash remains one of the biggest sources of security vulnerabilities. As Adobe Flash is a proprietary system and as users are often lax about updating their software, hackers find it an easy target to carry out anything from memory corruption to malicious code and denial of service attacks.
Flash has also long been despised for slowing down computers and draining power.
What life without Flash looks like
Many people are already living a Flash-free existence. On desktop, many users have already removed Flash to save on battery power and protect their devices. While on mobile devices, iOS and Android have been Flash-free for years. In both cases, users are presented with blank screens or broken components, and no choice but to abandon their search.
As mobile has now overtaken desktop as people’s primary method for accessing the web, many businesses have updated their websites to a mobile-friendly design in the much-improved and mobile-compatible HTML5.
That said, there are reportedly hundreds of thousands of ads displayed globally using Flash. This recent step by Google not to run Flash ads by default in its Chrome browser marks the beginning of the end, as more advertising platforms are likely to follow.
There are platforms out there that are trying to make the switch as painless as possible. For instance, Google Adwords can now automatically convert ads created using Flash into HTML5, a friendlier and safer format for playback.
Still using Flash?
Flash is all but dead, so if you’re still using it, it’s well and truly time for an upgrade. To find out how your site is being affected right now, or to understand how Google’s announcement regarding video ads will affect your campaign’s performance, call for a free consultation.
iFactory is one of Brisbane’s premier full-service digital and creative agency and we’ve been helping our clients achieve digital success through cutting-edge technology and marketing techniques for more than 10 years.
Contact iFactory today on 07 3844 0577 and find out what’s possible.
