All About Apps: Part 1. Native, Web or Hybrid App?

This is Part 1 in the series “All About Apps”.

The rapidly growing population of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets has opened up a new world of opportunities centering on “apps”. There is an app for practically everything, from games and entertainment to education, news, weather, shopping, social networking and productivity. Several hundred thousand apps are now available; they have been downloaded more than 10 billion times in the last few years. What are these apps? Are they any different from the software applications traditionally found on personal computers (PCs)?

What are so different about apps?

Applications are software programs designed for end users (e.g., database, word processors, presentation, spreadsheets, Web browsers and e-mail client) and are different from systems software, which consists of files and programs making up a computer’s operating system (MS Windows or Mac OS) and managing its resources (e.g., drivers for hardware). Applications sit on top of systems software; they cannot run without the latter. Those deployed by organizations are predominantly enterprise applications, which perform system-wide functions such as accounting, payroll processing, e-mail systems, production scheduling, procurement and customer relationship management. They are hosted on some servers and provide simultaneous services to a large number of users, typically over a computer network. Some are proprietary applications being developed and deployed in-house by corporate IT staff; others are outsourced from application service providers (ASPs). The latter can be installed on-premise or hosted by the providers (thus known as software as a service – SaaS). A more recent trend is to move enterprise applications to the “cloud” – a type of Internet-based computing services delivered to an organization’s computers on-demand.

Other than enterprise applications, there are single-user applications. They are installed and executed on a user’s PC and serves only one user at a time. Thanks to the proliferation of personal computers, single-user applications have become widely common, inside as well as outside organizations.

There is another kind of applications, which have caught on like wild fire thanks the rapidly multiplying population of handheld mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets in recent years. Known as “apps” (an abbreviation for “applications”) or often also as “mobile apps”, they make it easier for users to access common Internet-based services and utilities (e.g., email, bookmarking and text messaging) on handheld devices, which generally have smaller screens and more limited computing power than desktop or laptop PCs. They also provide additional functionalities and utilities (e.g., games, photo editing and office productivity) to mobile devices, making these vastly more useful (e.g., a smartphones is not just a voice and data transmitting device but also a web browser, a gaming device and a media player; a tablet is not just a gaming device and media player but also increasingly a replacement for a netbook or laptop PC). They have become the new channel for delivering enhanced services and experiences to mobile device users.

It should be noted that apps are not strictly for mobile devices even though their rise has been closely associated with the proliferation of mobile devices and in particular with the market success of Apple App Store. In May 2007, for example, Facebook launched the Facebook F8 Platform to provide a framework for software developers to create applications that interact with core Facebook features. Within a few months, it had attracted thousands of applications that enabled users to perform numerous tasks, from shopping (by tapping into circle of friends to find the best deals) to nightlife (by notifying friends on the nightlife hangouts of one another), which had not previously been available on online social networks, Facebook or elsewhere. These apps quickly expanded the functionalities of Facebook and helped to propel Facebook quickly ahead of its rival (then market leader) MySpace. They were originally designed for PCs, not mobile devices. Apple did not open its App Store until July 2008. Within 9 months of its launch, however, Apple App Store reached one billion downloads and by January 2011 (or two and half years later) ten billions. In light of Apple’s spectacular success, other competitors have also launched their own stores for mobile apps (e.g., Android Market by Google, BlackBerry App World by RIM and Ovi Store by Nokia). Even Apple has extended the App Store business concept with its Mac App Store for its Mac computers (instead of the iPhones and iPads) and its rivals have quickly followed (e.g., AppUp Store for Windows netbook PCs by Intel). So, apps are now going beyond mobile devices and onto the desktop and laptop PCs, the web (Chrome Webstore by Google) and even the billions of other connected devices out there, from TVs to cars.

If “apps” are not strictly for mobile handheld devices, then how do they differ from more traditional “applications” for desktop and laptop PCs? Both are software applications for end users, but they differ in some subtle ways.

1. Functionalities and features. Traditional applications for PCs are typically designed to provide a fuller range of functionalities and features, where only a subset of which is actually needed by any individual users. They normally give users a menu of options for personalizing these features to individual needs. They require substantial hardware resources (e.g., computing power, graphics capabilities and storage space). By comparison, apps are more like mini,or bite-size, applications that perform very specific functions, typically on handheld devices with more limited computing resources.
2. Prices. Given their full range of functionalities and features, applications for PCs naturally cost a lot, often in hundreds of dollar. Apps are on the other hand much simpler in design and hence in development and testing. They cost much less, $2.28 on the average on Apple App Store (148Apps.biz, 2011), although some may cost close to $1,000 (Shontell, 2011; Ide, 2011) .
3. Distribution. Applications on PCs usually require relatively complex processes of software installation, personalization and updating that often cannot be easily completed without the help of an user manual. The same processes for apps are relatively simple and completely automated. Users usually find, purchase, download and update apps through a few major app stores, usually with a simple press of a button. Some apps can also be found on websites other than app stores; still, users can download, install and/or launch them with one button click.

Native, web or hybrid?

From the development standpoints, there are three choices: native, Web and hybrid apps.

1. Native apps are those designed to run on a specific operating system (e.g., Apple iOS, Google Android or HP webOS) or even a specific type of device (e.g., iPad or iPhone, though both are running on iOS). Being system/device-specific, native apps can access the hardware features (e.g., camera, gyroscope, compass, accelerometer, microphone and GPS) and resources (e.g., local files, contacts and calendar events) of the device to give richer user experiences (e.g., responsive user interfaces and complex animated content). They use robust programming languages (e.g. Java, Objective C and C++) which are highly suitable for complex application development and have proven track records. Games and entertainment apps therefore tend to go the native route. On the downside, native apps designed for one operating system need to be recoded (with considerable time and cost) to run on another operating system. They are typically distributed through an app store and must therefore get approval from that store; the standards and process for approval vary from store to store. They have to be downloaded and installed on a device before they can run; once installed, they can run even when that device is offline.
2. Web apps are web sites specifically optimized for mobile devices. These sites can be anything, from a currency exchange rate calculator or business brochure to an online newsletter. Web apps run on mobile Web browsers. They are typically written in a browser-rendered language such as HTML (for defining the static text and images) combined with CSS (for defining styling and presentational elements) and JavaScript (for describing interactions and animations), e.g., content is simply reformatted with CSS to suit a particular screen size and resolution. They work across almost any mobile devices and operating systems. Some uncertainties remain because, for any version of HTML, not all its features are supported by all browsers; likewise, JavaScript may not be interpreted in the same manner by all browsers and on some browsers may not be interpreted at all. There is no guarantee that a particular feature that works on one mobile web browser (e.g., Safari) will also work on another browser (e.g., Chrome, Firefox Android, Dolphin or Opera Mobile). Web apps do not need to be installed on mobile devices; nor do they have to be distributed through an app store. Each time a Web app is used, all or some of its parts are automatically downloaded from the Web. That means it cannot run unless the device on which it is used is connected to the Internet. Web apps are particular popular for communication, shopping, weather and financial services, which depend on data and content constantly updated via Internet connection.
3. Hybrid apps combine selected features of native and web apps to take advantage of the strengths of these two app types. They do so by “wrapping” a web app, which uses cross-platform web technologies, with a native app to gain access to hardware features and resources (e.g., camera and local files). To users, hybrid apps look and feel just like native apps – they are downloaded from the app store or marketplace, installed on a mobile device launched just like any native apps. For developers, it is not necessary to recode hybrid apps from scratch in order to port them from one mobile operating system to another. Their web portion is already written in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, which can be reused across operating systems and devices.

Mobile Apps Explained from Splash Digital Media, LLC on Vimeo.

The image below illustrates how native, web and hybrid apps differ from one another. A native app has binary executable files that are installed on a mobile device. It interfaces directly with the mobile operating system, without any intermediary or container, and access hardware features and resources via the application programming interfaces (APIs) made available by the operating system vendor for the device. By contrat, a web app consists of web files written in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and run on a mobile web browser, and thus does not interface directly with the operating system. A hybrid app wraps such web code inside a native container; that container then interfaces with the operating system through the device APIs.

Apps illustrated: native vs. web vs. hybrid (by Worklight, 2011a)

Until very recently, the look and feel of, and hence the user experience with, native apps and those of web apps were far apart. But that is beginning to change fast. Behind this change are the technology improvements being made by HTML. Its latest version HTML5, still a work in progress, promises to push the capabilities of web apps to the point of making them as engaging as Flash applications and as integrated with the device as native apps. It supports vector graphics, besides bitmap, and animation. Slowly it is enabling Web apps to gain access to some hardware features. Web apps can now get the user’s current location from the mobile device’s GPS. Before long they can gain access to its camera and sensors, and be cached on the device for offline use when Internet connection is not available.

Timeline for HTML5 access to hardware features of mobile devices (Global Intelligence Alliance,2011)

Which type of apps should an organization opt for?

• When there is a need to offer complex user interfaces, killer speed and rich user experience (e.g., games), native apps are the way to go. Being distributed through an app store can be a benefit because app stores are where users go to look for apps. However, be prepared for the high costs of development and porting the apps to multiple platforms, and the time and uncertainties of getting these apps and their subsequent updates approved for distribution through an app store.
• When there is no need for access to hardware features or only limited need for such access (e.g., simple GPS) but a much greater need for data to be updated frequently, and when speed is not important but low-cost, cross-platform availability is, web apps offer a better option. They cannot be distributed through app stores, however, and must therefore rely on search engines and website marketing to be found by users. This may not be a serious disadvantage as it was not too long ago. With the influx of (native) apps onto app stores, it is getting harder and harder to gain visibility there.
• When there is a need to reuse a code base across multiple platforms for development cost savings and also to access some (but not the whole set of) hardware features for more complex user interface or richer user experiences, not to mention a desire to have app store distribution, hybrid apps offer an attractive compromise. There are some mobile development frameworks out there (e.g., PhoneGap) that let developers build the native wrapper for hybrid apps by using JavaScript, HTML and CSS, instead of difficult languages such as Objective C and Java, to query the device’s compass, take pictures, find contacts, create appointments and tap other hardware features not otherwise accessible to web apps.

Native, Web and Hybrid Apps Compared (by Worklight, 2011b)

Resources

1. 148Apps.biz “App store metrics”, accessed Sept 19, 2011.
2. Global Intelligence Alliance, Native or Web Applications? How Best to Deliver Content and Services to Your Audiences over the Mobile Phone, (April 2010).
3. Micheal Ide “List Of Most Expensive iPad Apps Hits $999”, IT ProPortal, (May 11, 2011).
4. Alyson Shontell “The 15 Most Expensive Android Apps In The World!” Business Insider, (August 11, 2011).
5. Worklight (2011a), HTML5, Hybrid or Native App Development.
6. Worklight (2011b), Native, Web or Hybrid App Development? Worklight Webinar Series.