Comment by wyclif
8 years ago
the web is pretty...janky. Native apps are where it's at. And those have centralized gatekeepers with absolutely no freedom of expression
Sure, the web is pretty janky now, but it's the future (if we have one for apps). Native apps are doomed. Progressive web apps are catching up fast, and the good ones are already providing a more seamless experience, particularly on mobile, than native apps can. Ask yourself, how many users now, on average, install new apps on their device from an app store?
And your example of Apple, while true, only puts a fine point on this. What developer wants to write 3 different apps instead of just one that works across all platforms? And Steve Jobs knew this and pushed devs to build iPhone apps using standard web technologies.
I think this is still very much an open question. My gut says native will matter more and more as time goes on, but we'll see...