Mobile Apps Are Winning Now, But HTML5 Will Win The Future

HTML5 is a new technology that allows developers to build rich web-based apps that run on any device via a standard web browser.
Many think it will save the web, rendering native platform-dependent apps obsolete.
So, which will win? Native apps or HTML5?
A recent report from BI Intelligence explains how we think HTML5 will win out, and what an HTML future will look like for consumers, developers, and brands.

Here's the pros and cons of each that matters: 

• Features: This is a big problem with HTML5 right now. There are some things HTML5 simply can't do. This should change as HTML5 evolves. Advantage: Apps

• User experience: On this score, so far, native apps win. This is because HTML5 technology still isn't evolved enough, and also because you can do more with native code. Advantage: Apps

• Monetization: With app stores and native apps hooked into services like iTunes that have your credit card, native apps are just much easier to monetize than HTML5. Advantage: Apps

• Cost: HTML5 apps are cheaper to make because they're cross-platform. If you want to build an app on every platform, you need to build it almost from scratch. Advantage: HTML5

• Distribution: This could be a wash, but we'll award it to HTML5. Some people are very happy with the native/app store distribution model. But ultimately the more open web model will let more people have distribution. It will also reduce the power of gatekeepers like Apple. Advantage: HTML5

In full, the special report analyzes:

• What HTML5 is, giving an overview of how it is a technology done by committee

• Why the HTML5-vs-Apps debate matters, breaking down its impact on distribution, monetization, platform power and network effects, and functionality.

• The pluses and minuses of HTML5 vs. native apps, comparing each by cost, user experience, features, distribution, and monetization.

• How and when HTML5 will take over, laying out how it has all the hallmarks of a disruptive technology.

• The success of an HTML5 pioneer, The Financial Times.

• What an HTML5 future will look like, with the promise of richer and more interactive experiences.