It's the end of mobile apps and everything

Michael "laughing boy" Mace is at it again....predicting gloom and more doom for the mobile world.

Anyway, it's another fun packed read as Michael anticipates the iminent meltdown of 3rd party apps (no, don't laugh) as the world is taken over by living breathing and probaly walking web based applications. Some of the stuff is contentious, some interesting and some bits are not exactly hard to predict...the rise of web based apps? Well, that's been happening since the iPhone came along last June and it would therefore have been far more impressive had he predicted it prior to that.

The one major drawback of web based stuff, and this is what will stop it ever taking precedence over native-to-the-device applications, is that you need to be online to access your content. I've been using mobile devices for years now and I still hugely prefer having an on the device app like ListPro, I wouldn't dream of swopping it out to purely use an online version...where is the advantage in that? What if I'm on a plane and can't use the devices' wireless capability...how do I access the info then? Sure, web based apps will increase in number and in useage but for most people that will add to the functionality, rather than replace, the downright handiness of the on board application.

I was listening to the latest Treocentral Treocast and jolly interesting it was too...luckily the chaps there didn't seem too over impressed with Mr Mace's comments either and made some very interesting and spot on counter-points.

Summary: The business of making native apps for mobile devices is dying, crushed by a fragmented market and restrictive business practices. The problems are so bad that the mobile web, despite its many technical drawbacks, is now a better way to deliver new functionality to mobiles. I think this will drive a rapid rise in mobile web development, largely replacing the mobile app business. This has huge implications for mobile operators, handset companies, developers, and users.