{"id":8101,"date":"2014-07-07T11:28:56","date_gmt":"2014-07-07T16:28:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/?p=8101"},"modified":"2019-09-13T16:46:24","modified_gmt":"2019-09-13T21:46:24","slug":"native-vs-html5-youre-asking-the-wrong-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2014\/07\/native-vs-html5-youre-asking-the-wrong-question\/","title":{"rendered":"Native vs. HTML5? You\u2019re asking the wrong question"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Education\"Summary: The “Native apps vs. HTML5 apps” debate has raged for the last few years. Some tout the benefits of the native approach, while others swear by HTML5. The only problem is, this argument doesn’t make sense. Find out why, and which question you should be asking instead.<\/em><\/span>
\n<\/a>
\nOver the last few years, I\u2019ve heard the same argument. Native apps vs. HTML5 apps: Which is better? <\/p>\n

Great arguments exist for both sides. Native apps provide better performance. HTML5 apps work across all platforms. Native apps offer more features. HTML5 apps insulate you from the ever-changing mobile landscape.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s only one problem with this argument: We\u2019re asking the wrong question<\/em><\/strong>. <\/p>\n

Let me explain:<\/p>\n

In the past, we had two different internets. The web we viewed on our PCs differed from the web we viewed on our phones. Phone browsers lacked the power of the PC browser, and required separate, bare-bones web pages. The \u201cmobile web\u201d referred to physically different (often text-based) pages built to run on weak phone browsers.<\/p>\n

Combine that with the fact that few people owned \u201csmart\u201d phones, and you understand why these mobile-optimized sites were rarely used. Most people browsed the web on their PC.<\/p>\n

\"photo
photo credit: xkcd<\/a> cc<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fast-forward to today. Mobile and tablet usage has exploded. Mobile browser usage now accounts for 20% of web traffic<\/span><\/a>, and that number is rising. As illustrated below, browser usage has gradually become more diversified. We don\u2019t have a single browser with a 90% market-share as we did in the past. <\/p>\n

\"StatCounter-browser-US-monthly-201002-201402\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In addition to their growing market share, mobile browsers have caught up with PC browsers in terms of capabilities. They deliver the same–albeit smaller–experience as desktop browsers. <\/p>\n

In other words, we no longer have the \u201cweb\u201d and the \u201cmobile web.\u201d There\u2019s just \u201cthe web.\u201d Users just access the web differently today than they did in the past. Some use small screens with touch-based interfaces. Others use large screens with mouse-based interfaces. <\/p>\n

Regardless, it\u2019s all the same web. We\u2019re just living in a multi-screened world.<\/p>\n

When you start viewing the web in its modern form–a variety of interface types and screen sizes–the \u201cNative vs. HTML5\u201d argument doesn\u2019t make sense. Is it really an \u201ceither\/or\u201d question? Would you seriously consider building web applications that DON\u2019T adapt to the modern realities of the web? Would you really build applications that ignore web users? Of course not!<\/p>\n

We see great examples of this all across the web. For instance, Facebook\u2019s native app is one of the most popular apps across every mobile platform. But, did you realize they also offer an HTML5 version that works across all devices? LinkedIn does the same thing. So does Chase Bank. The list could go on.<\/p>\n

These companies recognize the new reality. The question isn\u2019t \u201cNative or HTML5?\u201d It\u2019s \u201cHTML5 AND Native?\u201d As mobile browser usage climbs, web apps that adapt to any screen size or device become table stakes. That\u2019s a given. The real question is: Do you also need a native app?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: The “Native apps vs. HTML5 apps” debate has raged for the last few years. Some tout the benefits of the native approach, while others swear by HTML5. The only problem is, this argument doesn’t make sense. Find out why, and which question you should be asking instead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","slim_seo":{"title":"Native vs. HTML5? You\u2019re asking the wrong question - mrc's Cup of Joe Blog","description":"Summary: The \"Native apps vs. HTML5 apps\" debate has raged for the last few years. Some tout the benefits of the native approach, while others swear by HTML5. T"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[52,35],"class_list":["post-8101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","tag-html5","tag-mobile-apps"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8101"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8101\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12502,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8101\/revisions\/12502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}