by Jeffrey Walker
| Sep 23, 2014
The world of mobile has been a fast-moving target, fueled by lightning speed transformations that have left IT veterans shaking their head. PC sales have plummeted in recent years, and are expected to continue to decline 6.6% in 2014, while tablet sales, for instance, will rise 38.6%. The total number of smartphones in use globally surpassed 1billion in Q3 of 2012 and is expected to reach 1.75 billion in 2014. The bottom line is that we’ve entered an era unthinkable just a few years ago in which mobile is now the “new PC.”
Much of the mobile transformation has been fueled in recent years by the growth of HTML5. This represents the fifth update of the W3 standards, initially released to the public in 2008. The idea behind HTML5 was to develop a multi-platform web user experience that would provide more streamlined interactivity with the latest technological multimedia advances in audio and video, as well as APIs.
HTML5 is seen positively by many as the platform of choice for the open web initiative, and has become heralded especially by Mozilla Firefox. HTML5 offers a way for developers to create apps that can compete head to head with native applications by using features such as geolocation, offline caching, web storage, canvas and CSS3 transitions among many others.
HTML5 has continued to experience tremendous growth in popularity among developers in recent years, driven by increases in the number of devices and browsers on the market. The low barriers to entry to playing in the mobile app development sandbox make HTML5 a good choice for many businesses as well: open source, relatively easy to learn, a powerful user interface for designing sleek and intuitive websites, and lower cost and less development time.
The widespread growth, popularity, and adoption of HTML5 development approaches has also lead to an intense debate in mobile circles over the past several years. The well-worn debate, which has slid off into an ideological battle of sorts, hinges on whether HTML5 or Native approaches rule. While Native may provide an overall richer, faster, and more secure mobile web experience, HTML5 has made considerable strides in providing consumers with a “good enough” look and feel at a fraction of the cost for development.
Countless articles have been written about why HTML5 vs. Native still matters, while others even debate if there’s still anything to debate. Some would suggest that the debate is no more than a meeting meme that gets propagated endlessly throughout the industry. But seriously, stop and ask yourself for a moment, “Why does it have to be an either-or proposition?”
The truth of the matter is that mobile is moving to multiple endpoints and form factors that require an elastic infrastructure to support. Companies that discern this trend have begun to adopt an “both-and” approach that gives the flexibility to choose the right application type to meet the business needs of the customer. This holistic strategy offers a sound alternative to the traditional HTML5 vs. Native meme. It further reminds us that the answers often reside in the middle rather than at the extremes of a dualistic, either-or perspective.
At the end of the day everything really boils down to one overriding theme: keeping the customer happy! The needs of the customer are more important than spending time on a monolithic technology choice. Without happy customers technology choice is ultimately meaningless.
The HTML5 vs. Native argument is a dead-end. The world of mobile has moved on to bigger and better things. Instead of haggling over which approach is the best, mobile strategists should spend their time planning and designing a premier user experience that ensures repeat traffic and client satisfaction. Doing so will guarantee many happy returns for you and your customers.
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