> They're easier to create and update, and they offer an inferior user experience.
No, they're not. Good web apps have never been easier to create but what they offered was extremely easy distribution. What Apple did on the iPhone was make distribution almost as easy as going to a web page, knocking out HTML-based apps best advantage.
If you account for the requirement to reliably maintain per-user state, native apps pull into the lead. In most cases, they can store state on the device with no extra work from the user, whereas web sites require tedious signup to remember even the most trivial personal settings.
Also, don't discount the joy many consumers get from shopping and owning things.
No, they're not. Good web apps have never been easier to create but what they offered was extremely easy distribution. What Apple did on the iPhone was make distribution almost as easy as going to a web page, knocking out HTML-based apps best advantage.