Web Apps

John Gruber once described mobile web app platform as public parks, opposed to the App Store walled garden. Years later, due to standard stagnation and limited support from Apple, mobile web app platform has become sort of wasteland. After all, if Gruber felt the original iPhone web app development offer can be compared to a shit sandwich, there is no reason to expect a better outcome. Web apps aren't significant business for Apple. Case closed.

It's a sad status because custom business apps like dashboards and ERP arguably can take advantage of lower development cost for web apps to give companies much more timely and coherent information.

The web wasn't born for app programming. Many current web apps look much more like web sites than native apps. Consistency across browsers is a serious problem. Perhaps it's hopeless, but one can not leave without grief that the stagnation of the web will make iOS a largely closed ecosystem. The only purpose of the web for app developers is to avoid Apple's App Store cut.

On the desktop, the situation is a little better that web apps like Google Workspace and Figma do earn solid user base. Desktop web apps aren't fancy, but they integrate well with the cloud. Cross-platform is a small advantage. Links work across the web. However, one can not help but wonder if small advantages can add up together to rival monster native apps like Final Cut Pro.

Maybe 10 years later, it will finally be revealed whether web app platform is a public park or a shit sandwich.

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