White Paper. THE GREAT MOBILE APP DEBATE: NATIVE, HTML5 OR HYBRID? Determining the Right Approach for Your Business

Transcription

1 White Paper THE GREAT MOBILE APP DEBATE: NATIVE, HTML5 OR HYBRID? Determining the Right Approach for Your Business facebook.com/mportalinc August 2012

2 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Businesses are facing a rapidly changing consumer environment, one in which customers are using a vast array of mobile devices to access content and services. A recent report by CSG International describes it like this: the industry s future customer: autonomous, more socially connected and highly mobile. Given this, it is not unusual for today s household to include one or more smartphones, tablets, laptops, and game consoles, in addition to the traditional over the top cable box. Extrapolating this household example to a worldwide perspective offers a picture of millions of people using many different devices operating on several operating systems. It also shows enormous potential for businesses if they can get their applications to work effectively across platforms while, simultaneously, successfully connecting with their customers. When exploring the possibility of creating a mobile application, the thought process has typically been let s do ios, then Android, then take a look at some of the other platforms. But with the growing popularity of HTML5, which allows for the development of platform-agnostic webbased applications, there are more options for companies that wish to get their applications on as many devices as possible, quickly. Because just as the market has grown, so has the technology. And decision makers should now ask themselves some key questions regarding the type of mobile app development approach that will be most effective for their business, including: The Native Approach Do we want our apps to provide the fullest possible experience, taking advantage of all the features that a particular device s hardware and software has to offer, knowing that they may only be able to work on one OS (ios, Android, etc.) and use time and resources to build apps for each OS individually? 2 The HTML5 Approach Do we want to be as cost-effective as possible and develop apps that take advantage of many though perhaps not all of the features of

3 a particular device or OS, but are more easily deployed across multiple platforms, thus potentially expanding our user base more quickly? The Hybrid Approach Do we want to try for the best of both worlds and attempt to do both, knowing that this approach may require some compromises? The correct answer to these questions is it depends on the budget and resources at hand, the application that s being built and, most importantly, the overall goals of the company. This white paper will illustrate the differences, benefits and drawbacks to each approach. In doing so, it will help organizations gain a better understanding of the mobile application development options that are available to them and be able to successfully consider which approach best suits their goals of reaching customers through their mobile apps. GOING NATIVE When Apple first introduced its App Store it changed the way people consume content on mobile devices, possibly forever. It also introduced the term walled garden into the mobile world, as Apple s approach was to offer an ecosystem that could only be used on iphones. Apps that appeared in the App Store were specific to that device and the OS that ran on it. These apps were native to the iphone, built to work specifically with the phone and plug directly into its unique features. Since then we ve seen the rise of the app store, with the introduction and success of Google Play, Windows Marketplace, App World, and more. The majority of the apps that appear in these stores are built to work with Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry devices. Since they are platform-specific, they have access to all of a device s unique components. They are not cross-platform applications. 3 Because of the popularity of these closed ecosystems, companies have, traditionally, been conditioned to consider developing applications for one platform at a time. Indeed, this type of approach offers several benefits, including:

4 The ability to customize an app to take full advantage of an OS s specific capabilities. The opportunity to be discovered by potential customers through the well-established distribution channels the app stores that people are familiar with. This can be particularly important as the sheer number of mobile apps continues to grow at an astounding rate, and consumers find it increasingly challenging to discover apps they need or want. The ability to offer the best possible app experience for the user because the apps are built specifically for a particular platform However, this approach also offers a number of drawbacks, including: The need to develop separate applications for different operating systems, which can be timeconsuming and costly The potential sacrificing of the ability to reach particular customers who may prefer one operating system over another (i.e., an app that appears only in itunes will not be useable by someone with an Android device) The need to duplicate efforts and resources to the development of platform-specific apps Figure 1: ibooks is an example of a native application built specifically by Apple for ios. Image courtesy Apple. 4 The challenge of maintaining a consistent user experience across apps that run on various platforms The development of OS-specific native applications is still a good option for organizations that want to make the most full-featured applications possible, if they re willing to accept some of the negatives outlined above. If not, the good news is that with the growing

5 popularity of HTML5, there are other options for those who want to reach out to as many customers as possible and still offer a satisfying mobile experience. HTML5 Figure 2: An example of a media-centric HTML-5 app developed by mportal. When Steve Jobs introduced the ipad in 2010 he declared the world is moving to HTML5. In fact he seems to have been proven right on that point, as adoption of the formatting language has grown significantly over the past couple of years, allowing for many cross-platform uses including (although Jobs probably did not mean this) the ability to easily port apps from one device and OS to another. HTML5 is a language for structuring and presenting content for the Web. It allows for the creation of platform-agnostic Web apps, thereby eliminating the need to write specific code for each mobile OS. For most businesses, HTML5 offers the option of being able to write one app that will work seamlessly across ios, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry Figure 3: The same app as in Figure 2, but shown as it displays on a tablet. and other platforms (even game consoles). And HTML5-based applications also known as web apps do, in fact, have the ability to incorporate many of the same features as native applications, including: 5

6 Video and audio support This is obviously an important factor for both cable operators and content providers. HTML5 apps feature the ability to play audio and video within the app without the use of plugins like Adobe Flash, which many mobile devices do not support. OS-specific user interface features HTML5 apps can take advantage of specific features, such as drag-anddrop, pull to refresh and more. 2D and 3D animation HTML5 affords the ability to create animation within the app without any external plug-ins something which, along with video and audio support, can also prove important, particularly for content providers. Ability to utilize GPS features Like native apps, HTML5 apps can access a device s GPS, thereby offering features that are location-specific. For example, a company could develop an app that provides customized information or offerings based on the user s locale. Offline web application support HTML5 apps can work without a network connection. This could prove important for companies that wish to provide access to content, regardless of data connectivity. Figure 4: Facebook s ios app is an example of an HTML5-based application. Image courtesy Facebook 6 Given this, it s apparent that HTML5-based applications can still perform many of the same core functions that native apps can, without the need to develop several versions of the app for different platforms. That being said, HTML5 apps may not be able to offer all of the features that native apps provide, simply because web apps are not developed with a specific OS in mind. They also may not have the same seamless look and feel as a native app. For example, many ios-specific apps use various features ( pull to refresh, for example) that can be found throughout the OS. With Windows Phone it s even

7 more obvious, as apps developed specifically for that platform will often adopt Microsoft s Metro user interface, which emphasizes large text and colored tiles. This presents the user with a consistent experience that provides familiarity and deep integration with the OS. Worldwide HTML5 phone sales will surge from 336 million units in 2011 to 1 billion units in Strategy Analytics Report December 2011 There is also the problem of discoverability. As stated before, native apps have the luxury of having an entire ecosystem around them. They can be found and promoted through various well-known app stores. Unfortunately, web apps do not necessarily have that luxury because they lack a uniform, well-established distribution channel. Yes, they can be found online and downloaded directly, but their very openness may, in some instances, preclude them from being available in the itunes App Store, for example. In other words, it s easier to get HTML5-based apps on multiple devices, but can be harder for users to find them. That s certainly a big consideration, particularly for companies seeking to grow and connect with their customer bases. Standardization on HTML5 by 2014? A large chunk of the effort in HTML5 development today is allocated to making sure applications work consistently across devices and their browsers. This problem should hopefully be easier to tackle in 2014 when W3C moves closer to standardizing HTML5. Note that the last version of HTML (which didn t extensively address mobile) came in While the working draft of the HTML5 specification has been around since 2008, it still isn t a W3C standard. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, director of W3C and creator of the world wide web is pushing the standards body to start work on the successor of HTML5 called HTML. Next to keep the ball rolling in the standardization process. But do mobile apps need to be either native or HTML5-based? Can they be a bit of both? If so, can they still offer a rich user experience one that will help organizations successfully further their mobile initiatives? 7 As with considerations around native and HTML5 apps the answer is yes with some qualifications.

8 IT S A BIRD, IT S A PLANE, IT S A HYBRID This is where the concept of the hybrid mobile app approach comes into play. On the surface, hybrid apps combine the best aspects of both native and web-based applications. They offer a way to get to a great user experience, but approach it in a slightly different way. To illustrate how hybrid apps work, consider the following analogy. You ve been called away from your New York-based office to a business meeting in Los Angeles. In order to get there, you hail a cab from the office to LaGuardia Airport. You hop on a direct flight to LAX. Once there, you take a taxi to the meeting space. Hybrid apps provide operators and content providers with the freedom to create a single application that will work across platforms while incorporating many native app features. In order to reach your destination you relied on different means of travel. Combined, they both provided a means for you to reach your goal even though it meant employing different methods in order to do so. This is exactly what a hybrid approach is all about: capitalizing on the strengths of both native and HTML5-based apps in order to achieve a positive user experience. Hybrid apps combine elements of native and HTML5 applications. Because of this they provide the freedom of creating a single application that will work across platforms while still incorporating many of the features typically found in pure native apps. This helps not only in cross-platform portability but improves the chances for these applications to be included in app stores while still providing the user with a familiar, comfortable experience. Here are a few examples of what makes a hybrid app: The app may be housed within a wrapper that makes it appear to be a native app. For example, a HTML5 app could be designed with an icon, homescreen, or more, that makes it appear to be native to ios. 8

9 Much like a native app, a hybrid app can also have direct access to device components. For example, these types of applications can access key, well-integrated functions, such as a GPS, accelerometer, etc. While hybrid apps may not have the full functionality found in native apps that are built for a specific OS, they can much more easily be ported across platforms. This can save development time and costs associated with building applications for each individual platform while still providing enough of a full-bodied app experience. In essence, a hybrid approach could provide an economical way to get apps into the hands of as many users as possible without having to skimp too much on features and functionality and still offer a good user experience. All that said, there are certain things that must be considered before developing a hybrid application. These types of apps tend to have a layer of complexity that is greater than straightforward native or HTML5 development, and require a certain level of expertise. In short: add a potential learning curve into the development time. Some specific considerations around hybrid apps include: While it should be a rule of thumb for all types of apps, hybrid apps, in particular, need to be carefully designed. Certain components will not work together. For example, you don t want to design it to have HTML5 code on top of native code. To that point Figure 5: Hybrid app example courtesy Financial Times When using third-party tools (such as a chat window, for example) you need to be aware of whether they are written natively or in HTML5. 9 But the technical aspects are only the beginning. User behavior is also something that needs to be weighed as well.

10 CONTENT CONSUMPTION IN NATIVE VS. WEB-BASED APPS Indeed, one of the important factors for companies to consider when determining the type of app to produce is how consumers tend to use their devices to retrieve content and perform certain actions, such as shopping and paying bills. To that extent, research has shown that consumers typically rely more on the web, rather than native apps, to watch video. Conversely, they rely more on native applications to shop or manage accounts. Figure 6: App vs Browser breakdown in mobile apps Figure 6 clearly shows that people use different approaches for different needs. The question then becomes, which is the right course of action for the businesses to take: stay native, go with pure HTML5, or try a combined hybrid approach? CONCLUSION For better or worse, we live in a mobile world full of choices, which makes it difficult to offer a blanket recommendation of one approach over the other. In the end, it really comes down to the needs of each company and what s most important to them. As such, each of the following questions should be heavily considered in order to determine the correct course of action. Is it: Offering the best overall user experience? Getting applications onto as many devices and platforms as possible, as quickly as possible? Taking the most cost-effective route? Making apps easily discoverable? 10

11 Targeting a very specific user-base (i.e., the ios user, the Android user, etc.)? One must also consider how consumers will be using the application or how they want consumers to use it. Is it a content consumption app, or more of a portal to account management? In short, there is no one size fits all approach that will work for everyone. Native, HTML5 and hybrid applications all have their place in today s mobile environment. For businesses, choosing the right path to take requires a deep analysis of needs and goals. The good news, however, is that there is a right path for everyone. It s just a matter of finding it. 11

12 About mportal, founded in 2000, enables user experiences for mobile content and applications across various connected devices such as mobile phones, tablets, TVs and other internet enabled devices. Its offerings are targeted towards consumer and enterprise customers of Mobile Operators, Cable Operators, Content Providers and Device Manufacturers. mportal provides its customers with solutions that address the discovery, delivery and monetization of content and applications across the entire ecosystem of connected devices. With offices in the US and India, mportal s counts some of the world s leading companies, including AOL, Comcast, Cricket Communications, Cox Communications, Disney Mobile, Mobile ESPN, Reliance Infocomm, TV Guide, Verizon Wireless and XEROX as its customers. For more information, please visit REFERENCES 1 The Cable Customer of the Future: More Autonomous, Mobile & Personalized. 3 Key Trends That Will Dramatically Change the Cable Industry Over the Next 5 Years Whitepaper% pdf 2 The Need for Cross App Store Publishing and the Best Strategies to Pursue publication/ 3 Global HTML5 Handset Sales Forecast er&a0= How to Connect With Mobile Consumers 12