The first Beta of the new Windows 8 operating system was released last week. Included in the release was the Metro portable interface and Internet Explorer 10. IE comes in two versions, one for the standard desktop operating system, and a Metro version for use on tablet computers.
Metro is following in the footsteps of Apple’s iOS for the iPad by removing Flash. I have previously posted about the shortcomings of Flash, key of which is that it is a resources and power hog. This is a real problem for portable devices, and is one of the main reasons that Apple excluded Flash from the iPhone and iPad. It looks like Microsoft has agreed with this conclusion.
So what does this mean for companies running Flash based websites? Quite simply, it means that the Flash content of your website will not run on the most popular tablet and smart phones. It looks more and more like Flash’s days are numbered. The good news is that most of the functionality of Flash can be achieved with HTML 5.
Now would be a good time to review the use of Flash on your site, and to consider replacing it with more compatible applications.