Hacker News Reader

Yeah I'm aware of that but from what I hear they have native apps in the works.

Of course, if even Facebook prefers to build HTML apps what are the odds that smaller companies are going to go to the extra trouble and expense of native?

View on HN

If you go the 80/20 route, you'll only need an iOS anyway, and later on you can add an Android app - that's what they all do now, anyways. Perhaps that will shift to Android-first when everybody and his dog has a cheap Android phone (I hope not!).

Pseudo-native HTML apps are inferior, and people will notice it. I'm quite fed up with the FB apps on both iOS and Android because they spend more time with loading than the in-browser version. It's so bad that I actually considered if FB wants to drive people away from mobile so they click more ads in the browser - I don't think that's really the case though.

Will people notice it -- and leave the app? Or will a few geeks complain.

Ask Apple if paying attention to minute details (which the average user does not mention) has paid off in the long term.

I think it very likely is the case. They can't put ads on the iOS app without giving Apple a cut so they are very likely making the App subtly worse as time goes by.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com