Native Apps vs. Web Apps
So, you want to publish your content or sell your digital service via mobile devices… The first question you’ll be asking yourself is:
should I make an app?
There’s no doubt that it’s the fashionable thing to do, but being in the app-building business comes with a certain number of significant disadvantages.
One is market fragmentation. If you decide to develop native apps, you’ll need to cover at least the iOS and Android platforms, which between them account for 68% of the market (BlackBerry is at 20% and in rapid decline)#. Plus, each OS has several form factors that often require separate development tracks. Before you know it, you’re handling a complex multi-track development process and all the project management that comes with it.
Second comes sustainability. Once developed, apps need to be maintained and updated frequently. Devices are changing every few months, operating systems being updated almost annually. Simply keeping up with the pace of change is a major challenge, one which only the largest of players should consider taking on.
What’s more, building native apps means relinquishing a certain amount of control to Apple, or Google, or Microsoft. You have to be willing to adapt your software to meet their schedules, and to adhere to their rules. Even when they tend to be rather unfair, like paying 30% for in-app purchases – a huge strike for all content publishers.
There is an alternative, though. Building webapps is cheaper, simpler and ultimately more sustainable.
The rise of the planet of web apps
A webapp is built to web standards, which means it should work in any web browser, on any device. Sure, it might be necessary to make minor presentation tweaks for displaying the same content on different gadgets, but that can be accomplished with something as simple as creating custom style sheets for each one.
Until recently, the argument against using webapps has been that they don’t support some of the most useful functions found in mobile devices. But HTML5 overcomes that. It provides a software bridge between the web browser and basic hardware found in the phone – such as geo-location, the camera, the accelerometer and even local storage for offline use.
With that bridge in place, webapps built in HTML5 suddenly become just as useful as their native equivalents.
As a result, we’re already seeing some impressive webapps from some of the biggest brands. The Financial Times recently launched a web version of its newspaper, optimised for mobile devices. It works entirely through a web browser, yet looks and behaves like a native app – even down to carving out a chunk of memory for storage, so it can download articles and still be used while offline.
More recently, Amazon announced the Kindle Cloud Reader. It essentially mirrors a Kindle owner’s e-books to the web. Now you can read your Kindle from anywhere, even when you’ve left it at home.
Because it’s a webapp, Amazon neatly skirts round restrictions placed on e-book distribution via Apple’s own store, and retains complete control over the user experience, the payment system, everything.
As HTML5 itself improves and matures, we’ll see more services like this. The only weakness is in the quality and bandwidth of the mobile data network, and that too is improving rapidly.
We’re not arguing that native apps are dead. They still have their place. But for wide distribution of services or content across many platforms, webapps are by far the best option in the long run.
References
Kindle Cloud reader
Financial Times web app
Further reading
HTML5 Is Breathing New Life Into the Web
www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/business/27unboxed.html?_r=1
Native App vs. Web App: Which Is Better for Mobile Commerce?
mashable.com/2011/05/23/mobile-commerce-apps/
These Are The HTML5 Apps That Scare The Pants Off Apple
