> "The only reason to write apps is for performance and to get access to features your browser won't let you, but those will both progressively be fixed over time."
That's certainly possible, but here we are in 2012 and offline use of web apps is still atrocious. To say nothing of how inefficiently web traffic currently maps to the realities of cell phone networks.
And then there are user interface concerns (website support for multitouch? camera use? video capture? audio capture?). And everywhere, the all-to-familiar bugbear of disparate specs and support for any and all would-be extension to the web.
I personally think the odds are higher that we'll see another computer use method rising to prominence [1], that shakes up everyone's expectations of what an Everywhere Web needs to be able to do.
That's ultimately where we're headed and ultimately why the web site vs app distinction is moot. The future is services with many interfaces. Web interfaces, desktop OS interfaces, mobile interfaces, even interfaces to other services -- whatever makes sense so that all of it's features are ready for you anywhere and everywhere you might want them.
[1] Head's up displays? Maybe. But I'm thinking more like presence-aware general computing resources. Think appleTV's AirPlay, but for further computing tasks. Walk over to an all-in-one and it becomes an extension of your workspace. More display, more resources, better connection and all your data being sent to it as needed.
That's certainly possible, but here we are in 2012 and offline use of web apps is still atrocious. To say nothing of how inefficiently web traffic currently maps to the realities of cell phone networks.
And then there are user interface concerns (website support for multitouch? camera use? video capture? audio capture?). And everywhere, the all-to-familiar bugbear of disparate specs and support for any and all would-be extension to the web.
I personally think the odds are higher that we'll see another computer use method rising to prominence [1], that shakes up everyone's expectations of what an Everywhere Web needs to be able to do.
That's ultimately where we're headed and ultimately why the web site vs app distinction is moot. The future is services with many interfaces. Web interfaces, desktop OS interfaces, mobile interfaces, even interfaces to other services -- whatever makes sense so that all of it's features are ready for you anywhere and everywhere you might want them.
[1] Head's up displays? Maybe. But I'm thinking more like presence-aware general computing resources. Think appleTV's AirPlay, but for further computing tasks. Walk over to an all-in-one and it becomes an extension of your workspace. More display, more resources, better connection and all your data being sent to it as needed.