On the eve of the release of the iPad, I look back at the constant jabs I get for wanting one and the steady, never ending demeanor by many, “But it doesn’t have Flash!” Well, I decided that we should take a look at what the lack of Flash really means for consumers.

Here are a few of the common uses of Flash on the web.

1. Games

Probably the most use of Flash on the internet today is games. There are plenty of websites including Facebook, that are full of games. Most of us waste countless hours in a week(me included) playing games on the internet. 

So the iPad can’t access all these games. However there are many developers trying to break into this market. The appStore is the largest repository of games/applications in one single spot. How can you waste your time? Download a game or two. “But they cost money!” True and False, I have many games on my iPhone, some for .99 some for 9.99 and some for free. 

As well, with HTML5 fast becoming a hit in the world of web, it too is coming out with games that even boggle flash developers. There are many great apps out there, and plenty of time well wasted without Flash.

2. Advertisements

One of the giant markets out there today is advertising. You go to any of your favorite blogs, newspaper sites, or game sites, they are full of advertisements. Usually very flashy and sometimes downright annoying. HTML can definitely do the same as Flash in the same areas.

3. Videos

Youtube has the biggest traffic of video users online and up till a few months ago, it was all Flash video. But recently, Youtube and Vimeo have made the switch to using .H264 video and HTML5 to embed their video into their sites. .h264 has been around a long time but recently it is being better utilized to serve all aspects of video on the internet.

Flash has served as a great stepping stone in the world of the web. Many people have been using it and don’t even know. But tomorrow April 3, 2010, when you open up your brand new iPad and go to Facebook to play your favorite Flash game to find a square with a question mark or go to a website and see a couple squares where advertisements should be. Please do not get upset, download a game/app from the appStore or maybe an eBook and see the internet in a new way. 

Feel free to leave comments.