Microsoft Gets Rid of Adobe in a Flash

Windows 8 will feature Flash support…but only if you really want it to. Apple AAPL has battled Adobe ADBE at every turn, doing everything in its power to keep Flash out of iOS. Now it seems that Microsoft MSFT is following in Apple's footsteps – partially, at least. According to TechCrunch, the so-called “Metro” mode of IE10 will not feature support for any plug-ins, including Flash. However, Windows 8 users will be able to switch to full desktop mode at any time, allowing them to take advantage of the full-featured IE10. Why would Microsoft go through the trouble of annoying consumers with two versions of IE10, including one that some people may never want to use? Speed, simplicity and security are supposedly the reasons. I'm not going to pretend that Adobe makes secure products (I can't turn on my PC without seeing a “download update” notice that warns of a security issue). But Microsoft's solution is ridiculous. Instead of working with Adobe to improve the quality, functionality and security of Flash, the Windows maker is taking a backdoor approach in an attempt to slowly remove Adobe from the picture. Follow me @LouisBedigian