Anyone that owns an Apple iPhone, Google Android phone, or any modern smartphone is surely aware of the problems with viewing Flash content on the Web. While some mobile device manufacturers have tried to work with Adobe to create a mobile-friendly version of the browser plug-in required to view this content, a flawless cross-platform solution has yet to emerge.
With more people relying on their phones, netbooks, and iPads as their primary means of Web access, the time for innovation has arrived.
Earlier this week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs posted a long letter on the company’s website explaining, in detail, why Flash is no longer necessary. Some of his best points include its lack of security, drain of battery life, and incompatibility with multi-touch smartphones. Jobs’ answer to the Flash problem is a new technology some claim to be one of the most important parts of tomorrow’s Internet experience: HTML5.
While Flash may be used for a broad variety of purposes on the Web, the most prominent is obviously for watching web videos. Flash acts as what Mashable’s Christina Warren calls a “container” for video that uses the H.264 codec (the standard for most digital video cameras), such that a conversion process occurs in the background while you watch the video. HTML5, on the other hand, can play the original H.264 file directly. This means faster playback and better integration with smartphones.
While you may not have realized it, streaming video sites such as YouTube and Vimeo have already begun to implement HTML5 video. In fact, one of the reasons you may not have realized it is that you were using Mozilla Firefox. The reason why is somewhat complicated, but it has to do with a difference in the way Firefox encodes, or interprets video versus the way it is presented by both YouTube and Vimeo’s new HTML5 service.
For an example, go to any Vimeo video page using both Firefox and either Google Chrome or Safari. Only in the latter two browsers will you see a link in the lower right-hand corner giving you the “Switch to HTML5 Player” option.
Although this could be a setback for HTML5, Microsoft has agreed with Apple by saying that, “the future of the web is HTML5.” Given these exciting new technologies, as well as those recently announced by Facebook, there is no doubt that the Web is in a period of major transition. Here’s hoping the end result yields a Web experience that is easier, faster, and more mobile-friendly for both content creators and consumers alike.
