Mobile Application Development For The Web: Advantages and Disadvantages

A choice facing many mobile application developers is whether to develop mobile applications or develop a mobile website. When developing an application, developers can either write web based apps that run in browsers or native apps that run on specific devices. Mobile web development is rapidly becoming more viable for mobile application developers. With the emergence and success of the iPhone and its Safari browser, handset manufacturers are now focusing increasingly on creating devices with a streamlined browsing experience, akin to the experience on a desktop. Browsers are also improving, with newer browsers offering HTML and JavaScript support.

Mobile web application development is appealing for a number of reasons. Firstly, it allows developers to escape the fragmentation is currently present in the mobile devices market. This fragmentation means that users of mobile devices are scattered across several different operating systems, making it difficult for applications to reach a sizable audience. In this situation, if developers want to reach a widespread audience, they will have to write their application for each mobile platform which is prohibitively costly in both time and resources. Writing a web application eliminates this problem allowing any device with a suitable browser to access the application. Web app development also reduces the cost to the developer in several other ways. Developers will not have to get their application approved by the platform owner which saves time. By bypassing the device's application store they will not have to pay a percentage of their revenue to the store owner.

Mobile web applications can be created far more quickly and are easier to maintain than native mobile applications. Native applications must be regularly updated to keep in line with a myriad of updates and device upgrades. With web based apps, users who upgrade or change their device will still be able to run the app. This allows the developer of a web based application to more successfully retain customers than a developer of a native device based application.

While developing mobile web applications has a number of advantages over developing native mobile applications, it is also inferior in several crucial ways. On a technical level, mobile web applications are far less functional than native apps. This means that developers of highly technical applications do not have the option of making their apps web based. Web based apps cannot use the specific features of a mobile device, making them completely useless for integration. For example, a web based mobile application will be unable to access the tasks, calendar or contacts functions of a mobile device. Web based apps also lag behind in the user interface aspect due to browser limitations.

One of the biggest disadvantages of mobile web based applications is that they must, by definition, always be connected to the internet. If the device loses connection the web at any time, the application will be unusable. Even when connected, the quality of the user experience is highly dependent on network quality and latency. Therefore web based applications can run slowly even on high end devices. Users with high rate or variable data plans may also find using web based applications prohibitively expensive.
The focus of handset manufacturers and operating system owners on streamlining the mobile web experience has also had the detrimental side effect of creating browser fragmentation. This is nowhere near as much as the fragmentation in the mobile device market, but there are still several different browsers with their own nuances that developers must take into account.

In summary, web based application development seems to be the best option for developers of simple mobile apps which do not need to have an extensive interactive experience or complex user interface. As it stands, mobile web based application development is not ideal for most developers. It is most suited to those who need to avoid the disadvantages of native application development such as device fragmentation. In the near future, as mobile technologies continue to evolve and technical constraints are lifted, it is likely that web based application development will become more viable as a primary development method, bringing with it several unique advantages.

Integrous are one of the UK's leading mobile application development companies. Offering a range of award winning mobile application development services for Windows Mobile, iPhone application development, Blackberry, Symbian, J2ME and Android platforms.