WebApp secretly competes with Native App: Who will dominate the future? _PHP Tutorial

WebApp secretly battles Native App: Who will rule the future?

With the launch of Baidu’s “Light App”, the debate over which Web App or Native App will become mainstream has surfaced again. From the current point of view, on the one hand, Native App, as the darling of capital and the direction of entrepreneurs, is the focus of attention from all parties, but its shortcomings have gradually emerged; on the other hand, although Native App is currently in the limelight, Internet companies are not interested in Web App. It is also stepping up the layout and not taking it lightly. At the same time, WebApp itself also has advantages that cannot be ignored. Under this circumstance, who will dominate the future of WebApp and Native App will always be the focus of attention from the outside world.

Native App is changing from hot to cold

Since Apple’s iPhone detonated the mobile Internet, the App Store and App have become the stars of everyone’s attention. As a result, Internet companies, software and hardware manufacturers, independent app store entrepreneurs, operators and other people from all walks of life rushed in and launched app stores in an attempt to seize the mobile Internet entrance.

App development is regarded as a paradise by entrepreneurs, and they invest in it without hesitation. Indeed, compared with the PC Internet, which is firmly controlled by Internet giants, the arrival of the mobile Internet provides entrepreneurs with a rare opportunity. An excellent application may push it to the forefront and occupy a place on the mobile Internet.

Driven by the raging entrepreneurial boom, the number of Apps is growing at an alarming rate. Nowadays, the number of apps in both Apple and Android ecosystems has reached millions.

This is an eternal truth. Apps that explode at an extremely fast rate occupy a considerable part of users’ time. The role of browsers, website navigation, search boxes, etc. that once occupied the absolute entrance position on the PC Internet has been seriously weakened. Baidu's "2013 Q1 Mobile Internet Development Trend Report" shows that in the past six months, the per capita browser usage time has only increased by 2%, which is lower than the average per capita total time growth; while the per capita number of startups has decreased, the proportion of browsers being called by other apps has also increased. Come lower and lower.

Sourced from Baidu's "2013 Q1 Mobile Internet Trend Report"

In this context, the voice that the Web is dead and App will become mainstream is getting louder and louder. The future of WebApp seems to be bleak.

But the development of Native App is not all smooth sailing. Baidu’s “2013 Q1 Mobile Internet Trend Report” also pointed out the two major dilemmas Native App faces: distribution dilemma and usage dilemma. That is to say, as users’ usage time continues to focus on mainstream high-frequency Native Apps, low-frequency and unknown Native Apps are often ignored in app stores and cannot reach users. Even if users download it, they rarely use it, or they cannot remember or find it when they want to use it.

A report from mobile market analysis agency Adeven stated that 579,000 of the 880,000 apps in the Apple App Store are zombie apps, accounting for 2/3 of the total. These zombie apps have never appeared on Apple’s statistical list and have very few downloads.

Data from Baidu shows that in the first quarter of 2013, the average number of "Native APPs" per user's mobile phone increased by 5.6 in the past six months, but the number used per person per day decreased by 0.9. At the same time, in Q3 2012, high-frequency apps accounted for 83% of users’ usage time, and in Q1 2013, the figure increased to 85%.

The current situation of Native App also highlights the deteriorating ecological environment of the app store model. In such an environment, the living conditions of developers are not optimistic. At the Baidu World Conference 2013, Baidu founder Robin Li publicly declared that for the majority of people, the App application store model has fundamental flaws, and as the developer team grows, This has become a survival issue that developers need to solve urgently.

In fact, Robin Li’s statement has been verified in the past time. Independent apps that have been unable to find a business model are often either acquired by giants, killed by giants, or simply fend for themselves silently. Those who are still persisting are using all their strength.

As a result, doubts about Native App have gradually arisen, and the voice of public opinion has gradually shifted to WebApp.

WebApp secretly competes with Native App

In fact, WebApp as a development trend has never been ignored.

For example, Apple founder Steve Jobs once said that although Native App gives users a better experience at this stage, the Web is the future. If a developer cannot effectively utilize web technologies such as HTML5, he will be left behind.

Unlike Native App, WebApp has cross-platform and cross-terminal features, which can reduce developers’ costs. In the view of Xie Zibin, chairman of the W3C HTML5 Chinese Group and chief standards officer of Opera's Chinese brand OPEN browser, this cross-platform temptation is irresistible.

Internet companies have also been trying to promote the development of WebApp. It is a well-known fact in the industry that Baidu, which is eager to regain lost ground in search, has been deploying WebApp. Google also takes the Web as its development direction. And mobile browsers such as UC and QQ spare no effort in the layout of WebApp.

Especially UC, as a browser manufacturer, its persistence in WebApp is particularly eye-catching. At the 2013 Mobile Internet Innovation Conference held in July this year, UC officially released the "UC+" open platform strategy, which consists of three parts: UC application center, UC plug-in platform and UC application bookmark platform. Among them, UC Application Center is the first mobile WebApp application store in China.

"HTML5 will become the next generation protocol standard for the mobile Internet. Browser-based WebApps will also become more and more popular, enabling Apps to be developed once and applied multiple times without being restricted by operating systems and platforms. U3 independently developed by UC The kernel fully supports HTML5,” UC co-founder He Xiaopeng said at the meeting.

Although the counterattack against Native App has been ongoing, WebApp seems to be in a tepid state so far. Obviously, WebApp is still not mature yet. It is understood that although WebApp has convenient and fast features such as no need to download and instant search and use, it cannot call functions such as voice, camera, and positioning, and there are flaws in the user experience.

So, is it possible for Native App and WebApp to develop collaboratively?

Baidu’s “light application” may be an exploration. "Light App" is an application between Native App and WebApp. It not only has a user experience similar to Native App, but also has the characteristics of Web App that can be retrieved and intelligently distributed. There is no need to download and it can be used immediately after searching.

But this does not mean that the value of 91 Wireless, which Baidu spent huge sums of money to acquire, has decreased. In the words of Li Mingyuan, vice president of Baidu and general manager of the Mobile Cloud Division, "light applications" and 91 Wireless are not mutually exclusive, but have different entry points. 91 Wireless will help Baidu build an ecosystem.

Some analysts think so. Baidu's purpose of launching "light apps" is to use them to make up for the shortcomings of the app store model, so that it can exert greater value and drive the growth of Baidu's mobile search business. In short, Baidu needs the two to develop collaboratively and become a strong support for its own ecosystem.

For Baidu, this is a sure-profit deal. It can improve its own ecology through the coordinated development of "light apps" and the app store, and it can also continue to walk on two legs while paving the way for future possibilities. Be prepared for changes as they arise. To borrow Li Mingyuan’s words, “APP distribution has just begun, and no one knows the future.”

Conclusion:

The flaws of Native App are gradually emerging, and WebApp is not yet mature. In this case, it does not seem to make much sense to argue whether the east wind prevails over the west wind or the west wind overpowers the east wind. How to effectively combine the two under the current conditions to bring a better experience to users and create a better living environment for developers may be an issue that the industry should be more concerned about.