Architecting Mobile Solutions for the Enterprise

Chapter 2. Mobile Sites vs. Native Applications

When it is not necessary to make a decision, it is necessary not to make a decision.

— Lucius Cary

In this chapter:

• Not a Pointless Matter

• Aspects of Mobile Sites

• Aspects of Native Applications

• Summary

The modern era of mobile technology began with the release of the first Apple iPhone in the summer of 2007. No—that’s not a mistake: this is exactly the same words that began Chapter 1. They are repeated here because this statement illustrates the origin of the argument being debated in this chapter so well.

Mobile has been heralded as the next big thing for a decade. Since the late 1990s, it has been repeatedly forecast as the vehicle for a huge innovation that’s going to affect our lifestyles. Although ...