Though the current concern gripping the industry is whether Apple has too much influence over the various businesses operating in the mobile market, it appears Adobe isn't willing to give up on Flash's smartphone future.

Indeed, the company has gone as far as to suggest that 250 million smartphone handsets will be Flash Player equipped by the end of 2012, giving developers keen on the software a fairly hefty lifeline.

"You're going to see Flash not only on Android," director of technology strategy Anup Murarka told Reuters, pointing to the many partners Adobe has lined up.

"Consumers will see devices from Palm, Research in Motion's Blackberry, Nokia's Symbian and Microsoft Windows Phone 7 support the full Flash Player.

"Maybe we don't get to the iPhone or iPad. If anything, we're seeing continued growth in the install base and the usage of Flash and we see that continuing to grow."

The enemy of my enemy

Adobe's decision to give up on iPhone – essentially made for the firm by Apple's move to block its use during app development – has forced it to focus on the handset's existing major rivals, and those due to launch before the end of the year.

As such, Apple's attitude has essentially forced Adobe to work with all parties, rather than favouring one specific OS, with the company expecting Flash to be supported in 53 percent of the more than 300 million smartphones expected to ship in 2012.

Adobe recently announced that the latest version of Android, dubbed Froyo, will support Flash Player 10.1.
Reuters