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Webapps Online
HTML 5 webapps and HTML 5 app stores
Dated Saturday December 7, 2013
HTML 5 offers web-developers a platform on which they can develop for all platforms and all mobile and tablet devices at simultaneously. One drawback of HMTL 5 apps they is often mentioned is that the apps are not visible in any app store. Which means the developers can not earn money by selling the apps through an app store as they would do with iOS, Android or Windows Phone apps.
HTML 5 app stores, like Chrome store, AppsFuel en Firefox MarketPlace, change this in favor of HTML 5 apps. The HTML 5 app stores are available for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. Being a HTML 5 webapp them selfs they are available on every platform that supports browsing in HTML 5, which is every mobile platform available today!
Qantity or quality
Where the native apps stores win in quantity, are the HTML 5 apps stores better in quality. Since HTML 5 apps are developed for desktop, tablet and smartphone, cross-device, the budget available for developing these apps as many times higher then those for native apps. It is not a coincidence that big complicate apps, like office suites, are made available in HTML 5 (Google docs, Office 365) and not as native apps.
More and more developers find that developing in HTML 5 starts to rival developing native apps in options, performance and access to native smartphone functions. Wrapper frameworks, like Cordova, even give you the opportunity to make your HTML 5 app available as “native” app.
The future of HTML 5 webapps
HTML 5 apps are gaining more interest from OS developers. Firefox OS will only run HTML 5 apps. Bada as claimed HTML 5 apps as a way of distinguishing itself from the competition. Amazon will roll out its HTML 5 webapp support any time soon. Even Android will increase its support for HTML 5 apps.
When first developed Steve Jobs even wanted to go full in for HTML apps. Not convinced of the success a native app environment would have. He was overruled by the board and Apple made a huge profit from its app store. But seeing recent changes one might wonder if Steve was right in the long run.
