Flash is used to power online videos, games and adverts as well some websites.
The news will be seen as vindication of Apple’s decision not to include Flash in its iPhone and iPad products.
When Apple first unveiled the iPad, many commentators were sceptical that consumers would buy a device which could not access Flash content.
The device went on to become the best selling tablet device of all time and retains a dominant lead in the tablet sector.
Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs defended the absence of Flash, saying it “has not performed well on mobile devices. We have routinely asked Adobe to show us Flash performing well on a mobile device, any mobile device, for a few years now. We have never seen it.”
Apple instead encouraged developers and content users to adapt a new version of HTML, the language which powers website, called HTML5 which allows videos and other content to be played.
Despite this, Google and Blackberry makers RIM worked with Adobe to introduce Flash to their mobile devices in the hope of differentiating them from Apple’s products.
Although both companies highlighted the availability of Flash, performance was often poor and not all content could be accessed.
According to ZDNet, Adobe “will continue to support the current Android and PlayBook configurations with critical bug fixes and security updates” but in future will focus efforts on HTML5 and mobile applications.
