Analyst firm ABI Research said that the “disappearance of Flash is closer than people think,” as increased support for HTML5 in the mobile ecosystem will reduce the need for the Adobe-developed technology. According to the company, by 2016, more than 2.1 billion mobile devices worldwide will have HTML5 browsers, compared with 109 million in 2010. Among the core features of the technology is the ability to stream video without the need for a plug-in – displacing Flash from its current primary role. Separately, Adobe announced the closure of its InMarket app wholesale effort, and its supporting AIR Marketplace store.

ABI said that Apple will be central in driving the growth of HTML5, due to its lack of fragmentation and ability to update devices in the field. “Apple will quickly develop HTML5 features capabilities for their browsers and be able to easily push those updates out to their devices. Android does not have the capabilities to move so quickly. Blackberry has market share, but their installed base of phones with HTML5 capable browsers are limited,” said Mark Beccue, senior analyst.

For some time, Apple has been unsupportive of Flash in the mobile ecosystem, prohibiting the creation of a Flash plug-in for the Safari browser used in the iPhone and iPad, meaning users cannot view websites powered by this technology. It has said that in this form, Flash breaks its rule that apps cannot download additional external code when in use. Late last year, it began allowing “packaged” Flash content apps using Adobe’s AIR runtime to be offered for iOS, as long as these did not access any external code when in use.

Adobe has previously positioned Flash as a tool to deliver cross-platform apps, working across iOS, Android and BlackBerry.

Separately, Adobe said it is closing its InMarket app wholesale play, which was intended to provide a central repository to enable Flash/AIR apps to be made available to multiple app stores. The company had partnered with Intel to make content available via its App Up store, as well as inking deals with device maker Acer and several retailers. It also powered Adobe’s own AIR Marketplace.

In a blog post, the company said that “we have decided that we will deliver the most value by helping developers author and publish their apps on multiple platforms.” It continued: “there are now several app stores on desktops, mobile devices and tablets that service AIR developers including Apple App Store, Android Market, BlackBerry App World, Intel AppUp center, Samsung Apps, and Toshiba App Place. We encourage you to use these newer popular app stores to distribute your applications.”

Developers will be unable to login to the InMarket portal from 31 August 2011, at which point data will be deleted – including analytics and revenue reports.