Hello...
Darren Cousins
Senior UX Developer / Mobile advocate - Reading Room
Lead internet developer for 12 years in financial services
CIM post grad in marketing
Hype & Reality
Native app coding is currently where flash was in its prime,capable of delivering what browsers can’t
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Markets
App stores superiority
Speed to market
Market awareness
Ease of installation
Monetisation
Competitive threat comes from a potential web app store and a closing technology gap between mobile browser capabilities and native functionality
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Clients have realised they don’t need an app to be visible in the mobile space
Client demand
It’s all about consumption
It’s all about consumption
2 hours per day32% on games68% on data consumption
Gaming is largest single activityDoesn’t usually require internetSelf contained content is the value layer
All other activities are data consumptionRequire internet accessDelivered content is the value layer
A locally installed, fast opening app isn't as useful as the data it connects to
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Usage patterns
Top 3 uses of the desktop internet
• Social networking• Search• Video
Usage patterns
These don't require a dedicated app, they all work within the browserMobile browsers are amply capable of delivering all of these services
When the mobile-desktop crossover point occurs, desktop patterns will transpose onto mobile, email has already become a mobile activity
Games might not always be the top activity“
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Technology
NativeWeb growth featuresPerformanceUpdates
Native
Usual advantages for "going native", speed, native features and smooth UX
Aren't core requirements for what most people actually do with their phone, consume information
Technology
Speed - will always be a function of device capability, not the development platform,mobile hardware advances will reduce performance gap of native approach
Smooth UX - requires thought-out animation using optimised libraries and a modern GPU to deliver performance increases
Web growth features
Browser APIs are providing more access to native features
GPS / local storage has already happened
getUserMedia provides nascent camera and microphone integration
http://www.html5camera.com/
Technology
Performance
Local storage is faster than browser cache and offers buffering for intermittent network connections
DART and other attempts to simplify JS offer speed improvements
Video codec's can now be written in JS (Otoy) allowing constant improvements which are independent of apps and OS
Technology
Updates
App updates can be ignored
Can affect brand perception and conversion potential
Web apps deliver updates instantly to all users
Everyone is using the latest and greatest version
Technology
Resources
Development& Cost
Resources
Development
The knowledge-barrier to entry for native code development is higher than web.
Progress in developer tools will cater for the masses, and with millions of web developers the knowledge hurdles will be removed by means of hybrid frameworks
The native language of the internet becomes the lowest common denominator to the widest array of platforms and devices.
Resources
Cost
Cost of native development is high, both financial and time
The average user expects an app to cost zero
User loyalty is practically non-existent and migration is expected
Only financial winner from apps are the app stores.
Summary
Burberry, New York Times and the Financial Times have already created web apps
Step change in mobile traffic occurring very soon, mobile usage will also change
As more people turn to mobile as a primary device, device fragmentation is inevitable in every ecosystem
App development can't scale quickly enough to match rapidly expanding diversity
The most cost effective and scalable approach is responsive mobile web apps that can be deployed to a diverse range of devices sized from smartphones to cars