The discussion rages on. I continue to enjoy the experience of native applications much more. But there seem to be a lot of people out there jumping on the ‘mobile browser application‘ bandwagon. Of course everyone has a reason for it but if we focus solely on the end user (how about that?) the native applications provide a richer and better experience (not to mention better integration with device functionality). Inside the enterprise (as we attempt to mobilize our workers) this argument hasn’t taken off just yet. This is mostly because it adds a layer of complexity (and costs) to the roll out and support of multiple devices and platforms.

For now, I leave you with two stories:

Jason presents and refutes the most common arguments for why iPhone applications need to be built using native code instead of web technology.

Three of the arguments either don’t apply in all cases or are simply wrong.

The five most common arguments for native app development are:
1. Offline Mode — The ability to continue to use an application when you are not connected to the Internet.
2. Findability — If you’re not in the App Store, people won’t be able to find your application.
3. Performance — Javascript on mobile is too slow to use for application development.
4. Device Attributes — The need to access things like the camera, gps and the accelerometer.
5. Monetization — The ease with which people can and will buy your application.

These five reasons are also provided to argue for native app development on other platforms like Android and Blackberry as well.

Now It’s Your Turn
Regardless of the number of visitors to the Mobile Strategy Blog we always have a tough time collecting opinions and commentary. Not sure if it has to do with our style or with our readers… But we do value your opinion and we would like to hear your thoughts on this topic (and all the others of course). So please drop us a line or leave a comment below:

– What are your thoughts?
– Are these arguments one-sided?
– What are you developing for?Similar Posts:

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• Collection of tiny mobile apps for your iPhone (or my Personalized Enterprise Gateway)
• iPhone and Enterprise Mobility
• Mobile Applications and Loyalty
• 13 Things To Remember When Integrating Mobility (Or How To Avoid Process Peddlers)
• Mobile Strategy and the iPod Touch
• App Store Market Data (from AppsFire)
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