Yet, despite the huge potential of HTML 5, firstly in its ability to deliver video content to HTML 5 games based apps and secondly its compatibility across various platforms, the presence of two specific elements will prevent HTML 5 from world domination: appstores and data.
It is impossible to deny the success of the Apple’s Appstore itself. The company has succeeding in radically changing the mobile user’s relationship with content (through their portals), to getting it through App stores. The shift from carrier to OS relationship has been fundamental and offers unprecedented usability and engagement. Searching, downloading and installing is child’s play and what’s more they are virus free. Perhaps moving to an exclusively HTML5 world will mean the arrival of viruses on mobile phones. Let’s not forget that app stores have gone even further and caught the imagination of mobile users. The icons have indeed become “iconic”. How many iPhone users admit to flicking through their home pages looking at all those cool-looking icons?!
Secondly, we must not assume that all mobile users have good quality, active data connection. Mobile data connections are generally much slower and significantly less reliable than fixed lines. Despite the availability of 3G, the signal can vary from place to place. The advantage of having an app on one’s phone is that the basic functions are already there. Just as many companies who switched to the cloud for all their applications quickly switched back, we will need to install apps on our phones, just as we need to with our PC’s. 4G combined with Wimax may help solve some of these problems but not in the immediate future.
Therefore, in a nut-shell, it seems that there is sufficient evidence to suggest that HTML 5 and Apps will be able to co-exist harmoniously; people will download their preferred apps onto their phone for direct access from the icon on their mobile desktop, and use the mobile web as a complement to search for information while on the go. It is highly likely that traffic will dramatically increase on both channels over the next couple of years as in parallel to the arrival of HTML5 mobile websites, handset vendors, operators and media groups will continue to push appstores (today, although the apple appstore is by far the largest, this is expected to evolve over time). Technology will be used to create app-like interfaces on the mobile web. Ultimately, what it all leads back to is specific brand goals. For some brands, a mobile app may be the answer and for others, a HTML5 web-based site may be the way to go. Companies are more likely to use apps for branding and fun things that need the native operating system. We will probably witness a fleshing out of what we currently see on the App store – there will be more selective types of apps… Via HTML5 and Web apps, the future is likely to bring better, faster more integrated mobile sites. After all, what will take precedence is the ability to access relevant content anywhere anytime, whether on an app or through the mobile browser.