August 2009
Intermediate to advanced
329 pages
9h 36m
English
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Chapter 9. Mobile Web Apps Versus Native Applications
When should you make a mobile web application versus a native mobile application, or a downloadable application designed for a specific platform, like a Java application or an iPhone? It wasn’t that long ago that people didn’t even bother asking the question; every mobile application was native.
The mobile web historically has been so horrendous to deal with that the only way to create a compelling experience was to go native. Assuming that native applications will immediately create compelling experience is misleading, though, as dealing with native applications across multiple platforms isn’t exactly a walk in the park, either. Device fragmentation exists across devices, because if you are dealing with native APIs or mobile web browsers, it is an obstacle that cannot be avoided.
But like most things in the mobile ecosystem, the question of which path to choose comes down to money. Native applications can produce a lot of short-term revenue for developers and operators alike, especially with the proliferation of app stores. Though traffic to mobile websites and web applications produce a sizable chunk of operator revenue in data charges, developers assume they get nothing. This isn’t to say that making money from the mobile web can’t be done; it’s just that few know how to choose the right path to monetization.
In this chapter, I discuss the reasons why you should create a native application, but first, let’s start by setting the ...
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O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.Julian F.
I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.Addison B.
I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.Amir M.
I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.