New Flash Player penetration statistics
The NDP Online stats are done via a survey and it appears that the Millward Brown stats come from the same type of survey (methodology). I have heard whispers in the past that criticize the penetration statistics and the addition of a second, independent source, is a welcome sign. I hope that they continue to release statistics from both companies instead of switching over to Millward Brown. There is no indication one way or the other on the Adobe site.
It continues to be impressive how quickly Flash is adopted. The most recent survey is as of June, while the old data is from April 2006 but the two surveys seem to corroborate that adoption is quite high. Flash Player 8 penetration stands at 86% in "mature markets" (US, UK, France, Germany and Japan). In April adoption for Flash Player 8 was around 70%.
We have yet to see Flash Player 9 stats, which are the most important for any new Flash development. With the overhaul of Flash and the push by Adobe towards development for Flash Player 9, those statistics are going to be very important for companies looking at RIA solutions.