5 ms·

Anyone else feeling like there is a resurgence in web? Apps were the hot thing for a while, but now that major players have an app, they have figured out it ma

Anyone else feeling like there is a resurgence in web? Apps were the hot thing for a while, but now that major players have an app, they have figured out it matters little. I dont do my shopping on the Target App. I'm sure they are getting economic indicators that web on mobile is just as effective.

AndrewKemendo 8y ago
In fact I worked on a new retail/mobile product for Target a summer ago and convinced them to specifically focus on mobile web for this exact reason.
muthdra 8y ago
Yes, it's been happening for a while. Google and Mozilla have been pushing (sometimes rushing) for more capable web browsers while Apple actively protects the exclusivity of some functionalities of it's app store, to the detriment of Safari users, making them feel an even greater gap between websites and native apps. Originally, smartphones were to be the new way of browsing the web but it turned out to be a new way for OS manufacturers to profit over third-party software because developers had to handcraft a way of accessing their data over the internet from the device given that web browsers were not up to the task of delivering fast, snappy experiences. Developers had to create native apps for the simplest services even if they didn't need the extra functionality and APIs like notifications, background updates or movement sensors. Today, mostly because of the increase in mobile processing power, the difference between a website and an app for trivial tasks (notekeeping, calendar, ordering a product, whatevs) is innofensive and overall imperceptible, making websites a reliable way of providing functionality once again. Browser updates and new APIs will increase the amount of possible trivial services you will be able to access from anything with a browser and up-to-date processing power.

5 ms·

Anyone else feeling like there is a resurgence in web? Apps were the hot thing for a while, but now that major players have an app, they have figured out it ma

by robertAngst 8y ago

AndrewKemendo 8y ago
In fact I worked on a new retail/mobile product for Target a summer ago and convinced them to specifically focus on mobile web for this exact reason.
muthdra 8y ago
Yes, it's been happening for a while. Google and Mozilla have been pushing (sometimes rushing) for more capable web browsers while Apple actively protects the exclusivity of some functionalities of it's app store, to the detriment of Safari users, making them feel an even greater gap between websites and native apps. Originally, smartphones were to be the new way of browsing the web but it turned out to be a new way for OS manufacturers to profit over third-party software because developers had to handcraft a way of accessing their data over the internet from the device given that web browsers were not up to the task of delivering fast, snappy experiences. Developers had to create native apps for the simplest services even if they didn't need the extra functionality and APIs like notifications, background updates or movement sensors. Today, mostly because of the increase in mobile processing power, the difference between a website and an app for trivial tasks (notekeeping, calendar, ordering a product, whatevs) is innofensive and overall imperceptible, making websites a reliable way of providing functionality once again. Browser updates and new APIs will increase the amount of possible trivial services you will be able to access from anything with a browser and up-to-date processing power.