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Comment by jpswade | Hacker News Reader

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jpswade

Apps are great right now because they are better than most of the web apps.

However, they aren't the future, because:

- Web apps are always up-to-date, no updating necessary

- Web apps are stored in the cloud, not on your device

- Web apps work on any device/platform, apps need to be written for each

- Web apps are there on demand, instantly, while vendors cannot expect you to download an app for every website, company and product.

Look at what Google is doing with the Chromebook and look at devices like the Synology where the best feature is the Web app interface served from the device itself. This is the future, the "Internet of Things".

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Not really a compelling argument. If I invert your benefits they still read like benefits.

Mobile Apps are the future because:

- Mobile apps allow you to keep the version you have, updating when desired

- Mobile apps are stored on your device

- Mobile apps are customized to your device and can take advantage of all its features

- Mobile devices provide a browser for things that shouldn't ever be an app to being with.

I hope web based apps are the future but I think it will be for different reasons.

- The promise of Java, they won't be written in Java but just like Java the idea that you can write portable applications is very powerful

- Not being locked into an app store. App stores will still exist for discovery and monetization reasons but being able to run an app by visiting a URL will allow for all the things that companies like Apple won't allow.

> Mobile apps allow you to keep the version you have, updating when desired

Do you really believe that the user is actually in control of the upgrades ?

> Mobile apps are customized to your device and can take advantage of all its features

Having to code specifically for each device sounds like a benefit to you ?

Do you really believe that the user is actually in control of the upgrades ?

On iOS at least, it's (by default) a manual process to update an app.

Having to code specifically for each device sounds like a benefit to you ?

Benefit for the user, yes.

> Benefit for the user, yes.

I would agree with that if everyone (companies) actually did that, but they don't. Often they pick the popular platforms, or choose frameworks that allow for a single codebase and output a often subpar UX App, or just don't make the app to begin with.

Making it harder for a company to give the end user the product, even if an arguably better product, is not always a win for the user.

I see your point, but were I making a decision about what platform to use to build a mobile presence, I would focus on what provided the best user experience. Not what gave me the greatest initial coverage.

If you can be successful on iOS or Android first, you'll probably then have the resources available to develop for the other platforms as well.

I'm still using an older version of Google Maps because I hate the new version.

To me as a developer? It isn't, it is a pain in the ass. But to a user if your web app doesn't support random cool hardware feature of their phone they'd rather have a native version (see samsung s-pen stuff)

Packaged apps can be stored on your device for offline use. They actually represent all that is good about both realms.

I think the "mobile browser is dead" part is overblown bs, but I'd offer counterpoint to some of your statements:

> Web apps are stored in the cloud, not on your device

Put another way, web apps can only be run when you have connectivity. Of course, there are kludges that allow for some functionality offline, but they're not great just yet.

OTOH, some apps cede their advantage here by unnecessarily relying on network connectivity, even when they could avoid the dependency.

> Web apps work on any device/platform, apps need to be written for each

Except where they don't because of browser quirks, and thus need custom code written to work around those quirks. Is it better than native apps for each platform, assuming the functionality fits your needs? Sure, it can be, in much the same way that Java is for client side apps.

Bottom line, web apps vs. native apps is not black and white. Suitability of either approach to a task varies now, and the line where one makes more sense than the other is a moving target.

The line only gets more fuzzy when hybrid apps are considered.

I would like to add that for most content heavy apps they don't need to have an app. Their mobile sites would work just as well but since there is a mindset that people only want to use an app they are forced to create an app creating a self fulfilling prophecy that the mobile web is dead. Add to that the fact that a majority of the apps are not even downloaded and a large portion of apps that are downloaded are rarely used. They sit there taking up space on the phone and cluttering the UI, forcing you to clean up frequently. E.g. did you know there are 76 Coca Cola apps? 76!! What the hell...

Apps are great for things that you need notifications for, or anything that needs to be "always on" for you. I prefer not installing apps unless they meet that criteria, or there is no web version available.

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