HTML 5 vs. Native Mobile Applications

HTML 5 vs. Native Sasha Aickin Search Team Lead, Redfin

The time: Yesterday The Place: Moscone West

Um, WTF? We often cast technology platform wars as "religious", but it's rare that we get actual monks involved.

Who doesn't love a little religious war? ,[object Object],So... How did we get to this place? What should we as developers do about it?

But first... and the lessons we (should have?) learned A Brief History of the Mobile Internet

A Brief History of the Mobile Internet ,[object Object]

A Brief History of the Mobile Internet ,[object Object],Lesson the First: Mobile without wireless is just this side of useless.

A Brief History of the Mobile Internet ,[object Object],They promised:

A Brief History of the Mobile Internet ,[object Object],They delivered: FAIL

A Brief History of the Mobile Internet ,[object Object],Lesson the Second: Mobile without good user interface is not much better.

A Brief History of the Mobile Internet ,[object Object],"Perhaps it’s playing well in the mainstream press, but here at WWDC, Apple’s “you can write great apps for the iPhone: they’re called ‘web sites’” — message went over like a lead balloon.... – John Gruber, June 2007 WWDC 2007 Keynote Notes If all you have to offer is a s*** sandwich, just say it. Don’t tell us how lucky we are and that it’s going to taste delicious."

A Brief History of the Mobile Internet ,[object Object],Lesson the Third: Mobile that's a second-class citizen also does not fly.

A Brief History of the Mobile Internet ,[object Object],Lesson the Fourth: Users will pay for mobile that works.

A Brief History of the Mobile Internet ,[object Object],VS.

SPOILER ALERT HTML5 wins. Um, eventually.

Case study on the desktop: CoolIris ,[object Object],A random guy did a similar thing in HTML5 in a few weeks. HTML FTW

HTML5 is awesome! ,[object Object],It's got massively widespread support. It works on many different devices. Your developers already know it. Case closed, right?

Er, no. Eventually is the key here. ,[object Object],So if you have to build a mobile app now: What should you do? Try to go HTML5, but first consider four questions.

[object Object],What will the app do?

There's a lot that can't be done in HTML5. Running in the background Accessing media files Taking video Taking pictures Accelerometer Gyroscope Vibration Notifications

But there's a shocking amount that can be: GPS and Compass Local SQL Storage Web App Cache Vector and bitmap 2D graphics 3D with OpenGL Touch and gesture recognition Native video tag Native audio tag

Functionality Case study: Hand of Greed ,[object Object]

The first question ,[object Object],If the answer is "something only supported natively", go native. Otherwise, move on to...

[object Object],How will the app feel?

Look & Feel ,[object Object],1. Use iUI/SproutCore/iWebKit/jqTouch framework and write your app with native-ish controls in HTML/CSS/JavaScript ... and painstakingly fix the bugs and issues and weirdnesses... ... and end up with an app that still doesn't really look or feel like a native app.

Look & Feel ,[object Object],2. Give up and realize it was a bad idea to begin with.

The Weirdness of the Web ,[object Object],Bookmarks Back Button Refresh Button Page Flash Passed Links

Performance ,[object Object],Performance is where abstractions go to die.

Performance case study: Amazon ,[object Object]

Performance case study: Google Maps ,[object Object]

The second question ,[object Object],If you prototype it in HTML5, and you can't stand how it feels, go native. Otherwise, move on to...

[object Object],How on earth will you make money? <TODO: insert clichéd Jerry Maguire reference here>

More money, more problems? ,[object Object],Er, unless you're developing on iOS. You can only send user or device data to: "an independent advertising service provider whose primary business is serving mobile ads (for example, an advertising service provider owned by or affiliated with a developer or distributor of mobile devices, mobile operating systems or development environments other than Apple would not qualify as independent )" – Apple iPhone Dev Terms of Service ( as quoted on allthingsd.com)

More money, more problems? ,[object Object],Er, unless you're developing on iOS. You can only send user or device data to: "an independent advertising service provider whose CEO's name does not rhyme with Chmidt " – my co-worker's re-stating of Apple Terms of Service

More money, more problems? ,[object Object],Yes, PayPal has a mobile API, as does Google. Have you ever tried to USE PayPal in a phone browser? Exactly. P.S. This is not PayPal's fault! All the mobile HTML5 payment experiences kind of suck.

The third question ,[object Object],If you get paid for the app or in-app purchases, go native. Otherwise, move on to...

[object Object],How will users find your app?

Google is awesome! ,[object Object],Sometimes launching in an app store can feel like being a small fish in a big pond. But being a mobile webapp just out on the Internet is like being a small protozoa in an infinite universe.

Marketing on the App Stores is Gold You simply cannot underestimate the power of app store marketing. Launch Promoted on App Store

We need a good directory of HTML5 apps ,[object Object],But maybe not. :(

The Mom Test ,[object Object],Many, many apps. My mom has apps installed on her iPhone.

The Dark Side of the Apple App Store ,[object Object],They are now full of iPhone softcore porn app companies, or tethering app companies, or telephony app companies. Redfin has had nothing but good experiences with Apple, but there is a business risk to depending on all your revenue going through them.

The fourth question ,[object Object],If you don't have a solid strategy for getting users to your app (and you can stomach the dangers in Apple's store), go native.

To conclude... ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Go HTML5!

Otherwise... ,[object Object],Go Native.

Moving to the Open Web ,[object Object],How do we get there?

Here's the plan, see... ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

That's it ,[object Object],Questions? Praise? Insults? [email_address]

HTML 5 vs. Native Mobile Applications

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