Tech Topic Connection: Web/Mobile Apps
Technology is constantly evolving, especially for both mobile and web apps. As more people rely on mobile technology to access the internet, the demand for user-friendly mobile apps has grown exponentially. “In 2022, mobile internet users hit more than 5 billion, specifying that 63.1 percent of the global population uses mobile internet to go online.“ (Chatterjee, 2022, n.p.)
Originally, applications were designed using a client-server architecture. All data was stored on the server and applications had to be installed on each device with different versions for each operating system (windows vs. Linux). With the growth of the internet, servers and clients no longer need to be in the same place, they can be anywhere in the world. Users can now access server functionality straight from the browser (AWS, 2023, n.p.). "Today, app developers have to write the same software in different languages. They also test, package, and deploy the same software for various platforms." (AWS, 2023, n.p.)
There are two types of mobile applications, Native and Hybrid. Native mobile apps are built specifically for mobile use, while hybrid apps are built to be used on both mobile devices and desktop/laptop computers. Native apps will have access to a mobile device’s system resources, such as GPS, camera, contacts, etc.
“Mobile apps are more costly to develop than web applications and are platform-centric.“ (Chatterjee, 2022, n.p.) “Mobile apps have the advantage of being faster and more efficient, but they do require the user to regularly download updates.” (Sagara Technology Idea Lab, 2019, n.p.) Mobile apps also give better performance than web apps as web apps don’t always function correctly on a mobile device. Menu’s may be skewed and more difficult to access due to window resizing.
Web apps are built to run entirely on a web browser; they do not need to be downloaded or installed. They are less costly to build, can be built faster, will update themselves, and can reach a broader audience than mobile apps. The drawback being that they need an internet connection to run, while “mobile apps live and run on the device itself.” (Sagara Technology Idea Lab, 2019, n.p.) Web apps tend to be richer in design but cannot access device features the way mobile apps can.
Mobile apps have the advantage that they must pass testing to be included in the app stores, so they are generally free of malware and are of better quality to gain approval from the stores.
One of the largest differences between web and mobile apps is the languages they are written in, which directly impacts the cost to develop them as mobile apps must be built for each OS. Native Mobile apps are built using Swift or Objective-C for iOS apps, Java or C++ for Android apps, and C# for Windows Phone apps, Web apps are written with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and Hybrid Mobile apps use “HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but are then packaged for different platforms.” (Sagara Technology Idea Lab, 2019, n.p.)
In Chatterjee’s article, Mobile App vs Web App: What’s the difference?, he created a side-by-side comparison infographic of Mobile vs. Web apps that I found particularly interesting and helpful for those trying to decide which type of app to develop.
References:
AWS (2023). What's The Difference Between Web Apps, Native Apps, And Hybrid Apps? https://aws.amazon.com/compare/the-difference-between-web-apps-native-apps-and-hybrid-apps/
Chatterjee, S. (2022, December 14). Mobile App vs Web App: What’s the difference? BrowserStack. https://www.browserstack.com/guide/mobile-app-vs-web-app
Sagara Technology Idea Lab (2019, December 23). Mobile Apps vs Web Apps: Which is the Better Option? https://sagaratechnology.medium.com/mobile-apps-vs-web-apps-which-is-the-better-option-868106c88730
Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2019). Computing technology for all. zyBooks.
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