A real quick post because I saw this post on Techmeme and it just drove me up the wall.  A lot of the iPad coverage has focused around the fact that it doesn’t support Flash where as upcoming tablets/slates like the one from HP do.  This has led many pundits to conclusions that aren’t well thought out.  See below (bolding is mine)…

As much as Adobe might appreciate being the center of attention in the battle for tablet supremacy, the fact is that Flash is largely irrelevant. As a platform for multimedia content on the Web, Flash has definitely served a purpose and it's hard to argue with how ubiquitous Flash is on the Web. Just try to browse the Web without installing a Flash plugin and you will see just how much Web sites rely on the Adobe technology.

However, that is not necessarily a good thing. HTML5 is establishing itself as a vendor-agnostic standard capable of delivering much the same experience users have come to expect from Flash. Web content based on a free Web standard makes much more sense than multimedia content requiring proprietary software to create it, and requiring users to install a proprietary plugin to be able to interact with it.

I’ve never been the biggest fan of Flash but let’s be honest here: Everyone has Flash.  By the author's own admission.  Even if someone didn't have Flash it’s much easier to install a plug-in than it is a whole new browser.

(Unless of course you’re on an iPhone, iPod or iPad)

At the same time most people don’t run HTML5 compatible browsers yet.  21% of people TO THIS DAY still use Internet Explorer 6. A browser released almost a decade ago.  Beyond that, those who update their browsers don’t have HTML5 support since the standard isn’t even finalized. 

So even if you’re a web developer starting a project today it makes sense to use Flash over HTML5 (if you need features you can’t get through normal Javascript).  Because that's the only way to reach the whole market.

So to say Flash is “largely irrelevant” is just ridiculous.  It’s still the best way to deliver multimedia content to users and probably will be for some time to come (if the IE6 numbers are any indication of future adoption rates)

Today Google announced their “App Marketplace” which is a clearing house for Third Party Cloud apps.  Apps in the marketplace integrate with Google’s own apps (Docs, Sheets, etc…) and use Google’s single sign-on technology.  They already seem to have a lot of partners….

Honestly I’m hesitant to post on this because it’s a really big deal and I don’t want to sound like a fool later on.  But since I think it is that important I decided to throw caution to the wind. 

Here’s the thing: Google is making it’s move to reinvent computing with this

The process that started with Gmail and is clearly headed towards the ChromeOS takes shape with tonight’s announcement.  Not because of what’s being said publicly but because of what we can infer is being said behind closed doors. 

These companies aren’t going to jump in with both feet without certain guarantees from Google.  Guarantees regarding the amount of resources Google is putting behind this platform.  To get this many partners Google had to commit to taking the corporate market seriously and that is what makes this important.

At the same time it means Google has proven itself enough to be a viable competitor.  With a few big wins like the City of Los Angeles under their belt Google can go to corporations and say “you can trust us” and have a chance of being believed. 

Which brings my logic full circle.  Tonight is when Google stops using Cloud Apps as a distraction to hammer Microsoft with and actually starts making a business out of it.  Which means tonight could very well mean the beginning of the end for Windows.   

I’m not saying that will happen.  It could still go either way.  But I’d be far more willing to bet on Google tonight than I would have been this morning.

Addendum: I see a lot of bloggers comparing this to Apple’s app store but I think that’s unfounded.  What makes this different is that each of these companies is having to put resources into hosting their apps.  Meaning they are putting more into this than just writing the app itself (which in turn means they’ll expect Google to reciprocate)