I agree, developers will go with the dough... so to speak. Being able to leverage the internal data on the iphone and things such as the GPS, camera, and speakers makes an enormous difference in the breadth of applications developers can create. This in turn makes more desirable apps that users will pay money for. The web apps cannot get close to the multitude of possibilities currently available with the app.
One major downside might be the strict guidelines Apple seems to be having with accepting applications to their store. This may force some determined developers to find more creative ways to make money on their web based applications.
idont
· 1 year ago
Sorry to tell you that you are totally wrong.
With this strategy, you have to make a different job: software editor. You are no more a web developper. The project cycles are different. The jobs and costs are different. You lose flexibility (which increase the costs) and the markets are more segmented which force you to dev. specifically for each device.
Last point: the environment is close and owned by one company. The web is based mainly on open standards.
With web application you can reach HTC, Nokia, SonyEricson, Apple, etc. owners.
will shaw
· 1 year ago
you do know that the ask allows you to use webkit as an app?
Adam Hirsch
· 1 year ago
No one has brought up these 2 points: 1. How many applications are overkill (visually and memory)?
2. There are many websites/web apps out there whose developers can easily create an iPhone version. However, an iPhone App costs money to receive a license, time to have your license accepted and the need to learn a slightly "new" programming language. Web apps will still rule the iPhone, iPhone downloadable apps will definitely become key, but not the overall go to...
Joe
· 1 year ago
As a developer, I'm still not entirely sure that there is much advantage in a native app over a web app. Obviously, for lots of apps (OpenGL based games and location sensitive apps), it is necessary, but for many other apps is somewhat superfluous. In fact, the main reason I'll be letting out a native version of my iPhone flashcard app is to make sure more people know about it. Having the app store icon right on the phone is bound to get more people into the idea of apps on their phones.
pio
· 1 year ago
i wonder if our lives really got better with portable telephone or if we were better off communicating as we did 200 years ago...
salut
pio
steve
· 1 year ago
While I do agree that web apps are dead on the iphone, they are certainly alive and thriving on traditional computers. Mobile me is, based on sprout core, is how casing some of the amazing abilities of web apps. Web apps on the iphone do still have the advantage of instant gratification and not having to dig through the applicaiton store and wait for the download.
carlos martins
· 1 year ago
Those are something completely different things - as they have always been since the dawn of the dynamic web. Some apps make sense as real apps (for speed , offline access, etc.) others will be more useful as web apps ( remote online storage, easy access from several different devices, etc.)
I agree that it is far easier (and attractive) to develop for the iPhone now, but even so... I think there's room for both kinds of apps for now
david
· 1 year ago
Um,,,maybe. But I also see small free apps leveraging online apps. Take Zenbe and Evernote as examples. Both are nice free applications for the iPhone which tie into online versions. This offers both the user and the developer the best of both worlds. I don't see this as cut and dried as you do.
mark
· 1 year ago
I see the history in the early part of this post a bit differently.
Apple touted web apps because 1. Apple does think that the cloud is the future, 2. web apps are a competitive advantage over other phones because of its Safari, and 3. the SDK was nowhere near ready.
And since the SDK was not ready, Apple did not want to give any promises to consumers, but also as important, it did not want to give any indication to its competitors of what was truly important.
Apple knows that its competitors are looking for clues on how to compete with iPhone. So Apple remains as secretive as it possibly can, so it can go zigging when the other guys think they're finally catching up by zagging.
So while the other guys are busily working on getting their browsers up to speed because of the supposed importance of web apps, Apple is busily working the SDK and App Store. And now as the other guys start turning toward improving SDKs and Stores, Apple will turn to the next thing whatever it is. This is how Apple can maintain the distance from its competitors.
Iraê
· 1 year ago
I totally disagree with the point.
The article has good points and advantages for the native apps, but this means a little to kill online apps.
If desktop apps were always best online apps like Gmail would barely exist today and thats not the case. Online is cheper to develop, has much wider adoption then cocoa programing and many other points that will always be considered by developers.
You are so wrong with that post.
Andrew Warner
· 1 year ago
I wish web apps would have taken off. They're less damaging to the phone. My phone goes blank every once in a while. I think it's because of one of the apps I installed on the weekend.
pedalpete
· 1 year ago
I too have to disagree with this post.
Once a few browser plug-ins exist to map core functionality from the phone to the browser (send GPS data, etc), the native apps won't come close to web apps in numbers and usage.
Downloaded apps are for geeks/early adopters, not for mainstream users.
And looking at some of the downloads from the app store, they are nothing but web-apps posing as native apps.
The only reason Pandora and Last.fm are native apps is because safari on iPhone doesn't support flash. Otherwise, would these really have been created as apps?
dude
· 1 year ago
when you buy something online, is the money for it taken out of your itunes account or is it taken from your phone credit?
All Comments
One major downside might be the strict guidelines Apple seems to be having with accepting applications to their store. This may force some determined developers to find more creative ways to make money on their web based applications.
With this strategy, you have to make a different job: software editor. You are no more a web developper. The project cycles are different. The jobs and costs are different. You lose flexibility (which increase the costs) and the markets are more segmented which force you to dev. specifically for each device.
Last point: the environment is close and owned by one company. The web is based mainly on open standards.
With web application you can reach HTC, Nokia, SonyEricson, Apple, etc. owners.
1. How many applications are overkill (visually and memory)?
2. There are many websites/web apps out there whose developers can easily create an iPhone version. However, an iPhone App costs money to receive a license, time to have your license accepted and the need to learn a slightly "new" programming language. Web apps will still rule the iPhone, iPhone downloadable apps will definitely become key, but not the overall go to...
salut
pio
I agree that it is far easier (and attractive) to develop for the iPhone now, but even so... I think there's room for both kinds of apps for now
Apple touted web apps because
1. Apple does think that the cloud is the future,
2. web apps are a competitive advantage over other phones because of its Safari, and
3. the SDK was nowhere near ready.
And since the SDK was not ready, Apple did not want to give any promises to consumers, but also as important, it did not want to give any indication to its competitors of what was truly important.
Apple knows that its competitors are looking for clues on how to compete with iPhone. So Apple remains as secretive as it possibly can, so it can go zigging when the other guys think they're finally catching up by zagging.
So while the other guys are busily working on getting their browsers up to speed because of the supposed importance of web apps, Apple is busily working the SDK and App Store. And now as the other guys start turning toward improving SDKs and Stores, Apple will turn to the next thing whatever it is. This is how Apple can maintain the distance from its competitors.
The article has good points and advantages for the native apps, but this means a little to kill online apps.
If desktop apps were always best online apps like Gmail would barely exist today and thats not the case. Online is cheper to develop, has much wider adoption then cocoa programing and many other points that will always be considered by developers.
You are so wrong with that post.
Once a few browser plug-ins exist to map core functionality from the phone to the browser (send GPS data, etc), the native apps won't come close to web apps in numbers and usage.
Downloaded apps are for geeks/early adopters, not for mainstream users.
And looking at some of the downloads from the app store, they are nothing but web-apps posing as native apps.
The only reason Pandora and Last.fm are native apps is because safari on iPhone doesn't support flash.
Otherwise, would these really have been created as apps?