A common dilemma emerging amongst marketers and businesses now is the decision between developing a Mobile App or a Mobile Website. So what’s the difference? And, why would you choose one over the other?
A mobile app, whether it is for the iPhone, or another Smartphone will run an application on the phone and allow the user to perform certain tasks. A mobile website on the other hand will allow users with any type of Smartphone to view a web application or website without installing anything on the phone. The main exception of course is the iPhone which will not permit Flash™ to run.
Most people are familiar with apps now because of the popularity of the iPhone and most companies still do not have a website designed for the Mobile Touch Web. Mobile search company Taptu has released a detailed report showing that the future of the Mobile Web is likely to be dominated by cross-platform browser-based mobile web sites – rather than apps built specifically for iPhone, Android, or any other platform.
What kinds of sites are more likely to be browser-based for mobile phones? According to the report, 19% of the mobile sites measured were Shopping & Services sites; compared to 3.6% in the same category in the App Store. Content in the ‘Social’ category also has a higher chance of being a browser-based mobile site, rather than an app (12.9% to 1.7%).
Conversely, just 0.8% of mobile sites were gaming, compared to 18% of apps in the App Store. There is a similar discrepency in the ‘Entertainment’ category. According to Taptu, “it’s getting easier and easier to create rich touch screen user experiences with the browser without having to create platform-specific apps.” Taptu also points to increasing usage of open standard APIs, enabling Mobile Web developers to access “deeper device functions such as geolocation.”
At Liquid Interactive we are exploring the possibilities of HTML 5 to support a media rich strategy across all platforms, wireless devices and browsers. It is still a little while away but, most commentators believe that Apple will not back down on Flash and, that because of its market share, brands and marketers wanting to reach iPhone and iPad users via rich media web experiences will need to find a viable alternative. Until then however it is still a relevant decision for most marketers considering developing an iPhone app to weigh up the benefits of developing a mobile website instead.
COMMENTS
No Comments