Many people, ourselves included, have discussed the advantages and disadvantages of developing for the mobile web versus mobile apps. Our viewpoint generally tends to favor investing in both, given that they serve different purposes, but we understand where Mr. Baxter-Reynolds is coming from.
In his post, he talks about two forces operating on the mobilesphere.
The first is that customers have come to expect excellent experiences, which they typically get with apps, but don’t necessarily get when browsing the web via mobile device. Native apps are faster, more full-featured, and generally offer a smoother experience than the mobile web. This is natural, given that native apps are developed with a specific platform in mind, while the mobile web is a one-size fits all experience. And plenty of pages aren’t mobile-optimized, leading to unreadable text, clunky interfaces, slow loading, and an all-around irritating time for many users.
The second force is the ease with which a native app can be developed. In an earlier time, developing downloadable software was more difficult, and was riddled with problems for many developers. However, as Mr. Baxter-Reynolds points out, developer tools like those offered by Apple for those creating apps for the App Store, were a gamechanger. Instead of being difficult and plagued with issues, native software now works with greater regularity than the mobile web does. Thus, his conclusion that the mobile web is “dead.”
We believe both the mobile web and mobile apps are important to any business.
While some developers will be better served by focusing in on mobile apps, from a perspective of small businesses trying to reach the maximum number of prospects, the mobile web is critical. Mobile search traffic is high and any business with a decent, mobile-optimized website can capture a portion of it, boosting walk-ins, orders, and revenue on a regular basis. Ignoring the mobile web at this point would be a very costly mistake, so readers are cautioned to understand the context that Mr. Baxter-Reynolds is speaking from.
Of course, with Bizness Apps, no one has to make these hard decisions! Our packages include easy-to-create mobile websites AND apps for both iOS and Android platforms.
No matter where the mobile world is headed, we’ve got you covered.
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