Are apps all they're cracked up to be? (Or should we just embrace Mobile Web instead?)

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Are Apps All They're Cracked Up to Be?
(Or Should We Just Embrace Mobile
Web Instead?)
Jon Marks
@McBoof

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Prologue
Hello, I’m Jon.

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Spent half my life in Africa.
And the other half up North.
1970-something42 years ago

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4 kids. Boy. Girl. Pugpig. Boy.
2008 - 2015Recently

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The best digital publishing
platform on the planet

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Aging left wing, tree hugging,
open standard obsessed
hippy.

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This is the year I used to
confidently predict would be
the death of the app.
20172 years in the future

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But now I’m not so sure ….

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Part I
Things happen. Fast.

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Research Program at DARPA
starts talking about the
Internet
196253 years ago

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1962

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20 Bond movies
5 Bond actors
44 years of progress
1962 - 2006A lifetime

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2006

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You probably had a
BlackBerry when you watched
Casino Royale.

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Symbian
Windows Mobile 6
RIM
Linux
20078 years ago

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iPhone 1, iPhone OS 1
20078 years ago

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2008

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Android 1.0
20087 years ago

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Android 1.5 (Cupcake)
20096 years ago

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iTab iSlate iPad 1
20105 years ago

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Windows Phone 7 (7% US)
20105 years ago

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2012

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New kids on the block:
Uber, AirBnB, SnapChat
2011- 20123 years ago

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Apple CarPlay
Android Auto
20141 year ago

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Apple Watch
20156 months ago

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iOS 9 (Force 3D Touch)
Android Marshmallow
20153 months ago

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20122015

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> 1 Billion iOS Devices
> 1.5 Billion Android Devices
2015Now

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Snapchat > $15 billion
AirBnB > $25 billion
Uber > $50 billion
2015Now

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Smartphone set to become
the biggest consumer product
in history
2016 - 2020The short term

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The obligatory chart

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So compare apps and web
with an eye to the future.

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Part II
Smartphones are smart.

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“We need to provide a lean,
fast, cut down experience for
mobile users.”
20132 years ago

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Um, no we don’t.

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Your phone is more powerful
than your previous laptop.

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It is always with you, it knows
where you are, and can pay
for things.

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The average person unlocks
his or her smartphone 110
times each day.

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Touch UIs are for everyone.
Ages 2 - 120.

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For most people, keyboards
will become optional extras.

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So compare apps and web
in a world where mobile and
touch dominate mouse and
keyboard.

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Pause for Thought
Tweet on #madebypugpig

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Part III
The OS Wars are over.

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BlackBerry Priv launches
November 20153 weeks ago

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WTF!!?! They’re still around?

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Windows 10 Mobile launches
December 20152 weeks time

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iOS and the two Androids
Very Different Philosophies

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Operating systems are
becoming platforms.

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So compare apps and web
in the context of two dominant
but different mobile
platforms.

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Part IV
Actually, what’s an app?

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Apps are written in native
code. Mobile web in
HTML/CSS/JavaScript.
Unless you’re using something like Cordova. Or web views.

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Apps are distributed through
stores or ecosystems. Mobile
web is just there.
Unless you’re in the Firefox Marketplace or Chrome Web Store. Or an Enterprise App. Or Streamed.

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Apps are silos. Mobile web is
searchable and shareable.
Until both Google and Apple index app content, and provide canonical URL deep links

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Mobile web is accessed via
URLs. Apps aren’t?
And how long will we care about URLs for? Remember when browsers had a separate box for them?

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Apps are explicitly installed.
Mobile web is just there.
Unless they’re streamed.

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3 weeks ago
November 2015
Google App
Streaming. iOS
will follow.

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Apps run in different runtimes
- not a browser.

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So compare apps and web
but note that the consumer
facing difference is blurring.

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Part V
What about standards?

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Remember Flash vs HTML?

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The W3C is slow. Features
talk, standards follow.

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Google AMP. Apple News.

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And are the standards even
the right standards for the
future?

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The Big Reverse?

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Many devices won’t have
browsers at all ...

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So compare apps and web
remembering that consumers
don’t give a monkeys about
standards, and they decide
what wins.

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Part VI
Tech Head to Head.

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Unless you’re pushing the
boundaries, it’s almost always
more cost effective to build a
mobile website.

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Performance is better with
native code.

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The App Dev environment
lends itself to a Touch First
approach.

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A Web App looks the same on
all operating systems
(because you only have to
write one)

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Offline is still harder with web
technology - appcache and
local storage still flakey

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Apps have full access to
device features.
The Web APIs are getting
better at this

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Apps can push. A web app does
not exist unless you have an open
tab looking after it. But watch
Chrome service workers and push
notifications.

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People pay more seamlessly
through ecosystems.
Is Paypal closest to solving
this for the web?

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Advertising … is a massive
topic for another day.

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Someone else is moderating,
approving, censoring your
app in their ecosystem.

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You can throw any old shite
on a web site.

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With apps and web
the technical capabilities are
merging. It’s the Ecosystems
and UI that differ more.

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Epilogue
Closing Thoughts

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Question: Is your “morning
phone routine” more web
based or app based?

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Question: Name a web app
that’s more engaging than
your top 5 apps?

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Question: Should I do an app
or mobile website?

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Answer: A mobile website.

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Answer: And maybe also an
app …

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Answer: And maybe also an
app … if you have a strong
brand people relate to.

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Answer: And maybe also an
app … if you can create
regular usage habits.

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Answer: And maybe also an
app … if offline is important.

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Answer: And maybe also an
app … if you want a curated
experience.

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Consumer technology is a lot
more fickle than your API.

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And don’t underestimate the
importance of designing for
touch

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The End
Any questions?
All images copyright Eon Productions