May 23rd, 2011
Why the Web Won’t Ever Eclipse Native Apps? It’s Natural (NUIs)
There’s been continual jockeying about whether HTML5-based web apps will eclipse native apps, ever since Apple announced its app platform for the iPhone.
In the article linked above, Mims touts several web app advantages: audience size, cross-platform compatibility, and a lower Google app store fee. None of these are necessarily true for your app. Apple’s customers buy more apps than any other, making them an extremely target-rich environment. Cross-platform compatibility is a myth; to do anything interesting you will need to dive into device-specific drivers. And the app store fee is irrelevant; all that matters are profits. Apple delivers a proven, end-to-end environment for developers.
But what makes the best native apps special and successful is what Web apps could have more difficulty with — the magic of a natural user interface (NUI).
NUIs power Angry Birds (drag the slingshot), Tiny Wings (touch to dive), Solipskier (draw the ramps) and countless other apps. It’s the natural user interface of GarageBand that allows it to effortlessly combine a recorder with a full orchestra of instruments that a 2-year-old can start playing with immediately (mine has).
Web apps are (critically) limited in the responsiveness of their UIs, relying on javascript frameworks running inside a browser. No doubt they will get better, for now, it’s unlikely that they will ever match a native app.
It may seem a minor issue, but that’s the thing with magic — the slightest crack in the illusion will shatter it. Smart developers invest in their illusions, and use tools that enhance them.