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As Adobe Flash fades from mobile phones, HTML5 adoption already exploding

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 7:38PM EST
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Adobe announced last month that it was finally putting an end to its efforts with Flash Player for mobile devices, deciding to instead focus on native smartphone applications utilizing Adobe AIR. The wide adoption of HTML5 is seen as one of the driving forces behind Adobe’s decision to discontinue Flash development with regard to the mobile space, and new projections from market research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics suggest that the adoption of HTML5-enabled mobile phones is set to skyrocket. Read on from more.

According to Strategy Analytics, 336 million phones with HTML5 capabilities will be sold globally in 2011. In 2013, the firm sees that number ballooning to 1 billion. “We forecast worldwide HTML5 phone sales to surge from 336 million units in 2011 to 1.0 billion in 2013,” Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Shah said in a statement. “Growth for HTML5 phones is being driven by robust demand from multiple hardware vendors and software developers in North America, Europe and Asia who want to develop rich media services across multiple platforms, including companies like Adobe, Apple, Google and Microsoft. We define an HTML5 phone as a mobile handset with partial or full support for HTML5 technology in the browser, such as the Apple iPhone 4S.”

The firm sees HTML5 as a “pivotal technology” that will help enable growth across a variety of spaces including multi-screen applications and technology that makes use of cloud-based solutions. “HTML5 has quickly become a high-growth technology that will help smartphones, feature phones, tablets, notebooks, desktop PCs, televisions and vehicles to converge in the future,” Strategy Analytics’s Executive Director Neil Mawston added.

While HTML5 is still a relatively young technology, support from major technology companies like Apple and Google is no doubt bolstering its adoption among developers. Strategy Analytics’s full press release follows below.

Strategy Analytics: One Billion HTML5 Phones to be Sold Worldwide in 2013

Boston, MA – December 7, 2011 – According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, worldwide HTML5 phone sales will surge from 336 million units in 2011 to 1 billion units in 2013. HTML5 has quickly become a high-growth technology that will help smartphones, feature phones, tablets, notebooks, desktop PCs, televisions and vehicles to converge through cloud services.

Neil Shah, Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “We forecast worldwide HTML5 phone sales to surge from 336 million units in 2011 to 1.0 billion in 2013. Growth for HTML5 phones is being driven by robust demand from multiple hardware vendors and software developers in North America, Europe and Asia who want to develop rich media services across multiple platforms, including companies like Adobe, Apple, Google and Microsoft. We define an HTML5 phone as a mobile handset with partial or full support for HTML5 technology in the browser, such as the Apple iPhone 4S.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “HTML5 has quickly become a high-growth technology that will help smartphones, feature phones, tablets, notebooks, desktop PCs, televisions and vehicles to converge in the future. HTML5 will be a pivotal technology in the growth of a multi-screen, 4G LTE cloud that is emerging for mobile operators, device makers, car manufacturers, component vendors and Web app developers. With its potential to transcend some of the barriers faced by native apps, such as cross-platform usability, HTML5 is a market that no mobile stakeholder can afford to ignore”

Thomas Kang, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Despite surging growth of HTML5 phone sales, we caution that HTML5 is still a relatively immature technology. HTML5 currently has limited APIs and feature-sets to include compared with native apps on platforms such as Android or Apple iOS. It will require several years of further development and standards-setting before HTML5 can fully mature to reach its potential as a unified, multi-platform content-enabler.”

The full report, Global HTML5 Handset Sales Forecast, is published by the Strategy Analytics Wireless Device Strategies (WDS) service, details of which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/d7c24oz.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.