![]() The biggest downside to the mobile web is the lack of (or limited) access to the hardware features of mobile device, such as GPS, camera, NFC, etc. For an experienced web developer, many (but not all) of the limitations of the web can be compensated for or overcome entirely. It’s also worth mentioning here that, from a technical perspective, things are moving forward very quickly on the mobile web. You are free to offer content and advertising as you see fit. FreedomĪnother big upside to the web-based approach is that you are not tied to the rules set forth by the terms and conditions of competing app stores. In addition to this, updates to your app can happen in real-time “automagically.” There is no waiting for the App Store gods to review and approve your change, and you don’t have to bank on your user base going through the process of updating the software themselves. Single-source means that there is a single version of the code base that all users across all platforms access and use. There is no waiting for the version of the app to be released and you need only have one person/team maintaining a single code base. Users of any mobile device (iPhone, Android even Blackberry, Palm, and future devices that don’t exist yet) will be able to access the app and use it immediately. When developing a web-based app you are centralizing your offering. The biggest upside to a web-based approach is, of course, the biggest downside to a native one. From a development perspective however, the code bases are two entirely different languages and will have to be completely rewritten simply to mimic the original app’s functionality. From a design perspective, the task of changing the look and feel from one platform (say iPhone) to another (say, Android) is often straightforward. While there can be savings in porting an app from one platform to another (versus building it up from scratch) the value may be less than you would think. If you then decide down the road that you also want an Android version, you will have to redesign the app for the Android device, code and deploy it to the Android app store-likewise for other platforms.Ī well-orchestrated user experience is the best defense in the rapidly evolving world of mobile For example, if you decided to initially build an iPhone app, you would have to design, code, and deploy an iOS app to the App Store. a web-based one is that a separate code base must be created and maintained for each individual platform. The biggest drawback to developing a native app vs. When releasing a web-based app outside of the App Store, you would be entirely responsible for its marketing and distribution and would not have this same edge. It represents free shelf space for new products and can be a great way to advertise to and gain new users, especially if an app offers unique features. While the App Store has gotten a lot of bad press since its debut, it can also be viewed as an asset. Because web-based apps are platform agnostic, they do not have access to the device’s hardware features. Going with the native app approach gives you access to that platform’s hardware features allowing interesting functionalities such as taking photos, accessing GPS information, making phone calls, leveraging near field communication (NFC), etc. While new technologies and features (such as those in HTML5) will allow for this to also be done in a web-based environment, native apps are still ahead of web-based ones on this front. ![]() Native apps can run asynchronously, meaning dynamic information can be stored locally on the phone temporarily and synced with the central web-based server later. While dynamic content may still need to be accessed from the web, it’s an improvement over the web-based model in which everything needs to be downloaded each time. ![]() Because the code that runs the app is stored locally on the phone, there is no time spent waiting for static content (such as images and text) to be downloaded from the web. Native apps tend to be faster and more responsive. Let’s explore the pros and cons of both approaches. A web-based app, on the other hand, is one that is hosted on the web and accessed from a browser on the mobile device. Whether it is an extension of an existing digital offering (like a website) or a killer stand-alone app, there is a fundamental decision that needs to be made right away that will play a crucial role in the long-term success of the endeavor: whether it will be built as a “native” or “web-based” app.Ī native app is one that is built for a specific platform, such as iPhone or Android, using their code libraries and accessing their available hardware features (camera, GPS, etc). So you’ve decided to create a mobile application.
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