Super App+WebApp will dominate the future of mobile Internet?


Since the W3C released HTML4 in 1999, the Web has developed rapidly and it has prospered. People once thought that the HTML standard did not need to be upgraded. Some companies dedicated to the development of the Web App have separately established the WHATWG. Until 2007, the W3C took over the relevant work from the WHATWG and resumed the development of HTML5.


Looking at the development of HTML5, it is also a wave of twists and turns. There is a need for users to push forward, there is a need for technology developers to promote, and even greater commercial interests are driving. Over the past few years, HTML5 has overturned the pattern of the PC Internet. A crazy cat game in the WeChat friends circle has opened up people's illusions about the mobile Internet and optimized the experience of the mobile Internet. Next, the mobile Internet will produce a brand-new The entrance, while the web app dominated by Super App+HTML5 will overturn the native App mobile internet world.

The grey period of the traditional browser + HTML5 combination

In the process of upgrading the HTML5 standard, Apple and Google also saw the opportunity to reshuffle the browser market. On the one hand, they participated in the HTML5 specification while exerting their power on browser products. Apple first began to vigorously develop Safari and set up WebKit open source projects. Mac, iOS, and Windows are all on the same platform; Google initially sponsored Mozilla to develop Firefox, then developed its own v8 engine, merged WebKit, and officially launched Chrome in 2008. The slogan "IE's private specification + Flash is not a standard, we are the standard" started in a new generation of browser wars.

With the rapid development of Chrome and Safari, and the decline of IE+Flash, HTML5 has come to the next era of mobile Internet. The cross-platform advantage of HTML5 is further highlighted in the mobile Internet era. HTML5 is the only cross-platform language that eats on mainstream platforms such as PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows Phone. Both Java and Flash dreamed of this position, but the dream was off iOS. At this time, people began to research and develop cross-platform mobile phone applications based on HTML5. Many people believed that the original application was just a transition, just like the transition from a C/S structure to a B/S structure. Moreover, learning Objective-C and Java is very laborious. Since web pages are developed, why not try HTML5.

The W3C established the Device API working group at this time, extending the unique APIs for mobile phones such as Camera and GPS for HTML5. However, the trouble is that the initial iteration of the mobile Internet is too fast. The mobile OS is constantly expanding hardware APIs, gyroscopes, and so on. Distance sensors, barometers, and mobile phone OS are updated every year. HTML5 has not kept up with the rapid iteration of the early days of the mobile internet.

The emergence of PhoneGap opens a window for developers. Many people expect that PhoneGap will continue to expand the API to complement the browser's lack of. Adobe sees PhoneGap as if it sees hope of revitalizing the status of the arena. However, after Adobe acquired PhoneGap, it discovered that this item was not commercially available, and that open source made Adobe unable to gain commercial benefits like Flash, so it donated PhoneGap to Apache. Changed its name to Cordova.

For various reasons, Cordova's positioning did not ultimately become a browser enhancement, but toward hybrid development. Based on the background at the time, they believe that the original is irreplaceable, and the "primary + HTML5" hybrid model makes more sense.

At this time, Facebook joined the W3C and led the establishment of the Mobile Web Working Group. Facebook is a mixed Web site and does not have its own domain on the mobile OS. He does not like the native application ecosystem that Apple and Google control. The important goal of Mobile Web's working group is to allow HTML5-developed web applications to reach the native application experience. However, things were counterproductive, but the result was hard work but failed. In 2012, Facebook abandoned HTML5 news and flooded IT media all over the world. HTML5 was instantly pushed into the cold.

Before HTML5 was finalized, most domestic browsers already supported HTML5. Many mobile browsers, including UC, could not wait to develop Web App to offset the traffic swallowed by native apps. Before HTML5, Web App tried to compete with native apps for mobile desktops. However, it was limited to Web Apps' inherent defects, such as Caton and Push. The fluency of the apps was far behind that of native apps. As a result, the current mobile desktop is still the world of native apps.

HTML5 finalized WebApp quickly emerged

Why did Facebook abandon HTML5? Even the people with ulterior motives often used HTML5 and Web Apps.

The core reason was that at that time, based on HTML5, it was impossible to make a good mobile app. Comparing with the native apps of Twitter and other competitors, Facebook's HTML5 version can't satisfy users. For example, the Push function, the gap between HTML5 push and native push experience is still huge, not to mention many problems such as the white screen switching of the HTML5 application, the drop-down refresh/slide menu is not smooth, and so on. Watching native engineers easily implement functions such as shaking, two-dimensional codes, voice input, and sharing in a circle of friends, it makes HTML5 engineers feel that they are on the wrong team.

Even if Facebook doesn't like to be controlled, it can't risk being abandoned by users. And Facebook does not have the key to the mobile browser kernel. If the browser doesn't keep up, there's no way that a bunch of standard drafts will fall.

For Facebook or PhoneGap, it's impossible to get a share of the Internet in the early days of the mobile Internet. However, when you stick with it, opportunities will often arise.

Finally, at the end of October 2014, the W3C announced the finalization of HTML5. This time, sooner or later, the hardware performance is stronger, and the speed of the mobile OS OS is decreasing. The finalization of HTML5 heralds the start of a new era.

For mobile devices, the increase in hardware performance moves the level of HTML deficiencies, while supplementing the streaming media and gaming capabilities. Industry support starts from the latest Android 5.0, Webview can be updated in real time through the Google Play Store, and consistent with Chrome's upgrade, users can enjoy the latest browser engine without flash; after iOS 8 is released, Apple is still very interesting Canceled the restrictions of the tripartite program call Nitro, now any browser or application calls iOS UIWebview can use Nitro acceleration.

Google Android 4.4 released at the end of 2013, built-in Webview is no longer a crappy Android WebKit browser, but Chromium, a substantial increase in performance. Starting from the latest Android 5.0, Webview can be updated in real time through the Google Play Store, consistent with the upgrade of Chrome, users can enjoy the latest browser engine without flashing; look at Apple, after the iPhone 5 was released in 2012, HTML5 is in Performance on iOS is satisfactory, and Satro's exclusive JavaScript acceleration engine, Nitro, is no longer so important. However, after the release of iOS 8, Apple is still curiously canceling the limitations of the tripartite program calling Nitro. Now any browser or application calls iOS. UIWebview can use Nitro to speed up, so it is possible to use JS to do large-scale operations in the front end.

The attitude of the two major mobile operating system overlords and browser giants has changed, making the development of HTML5 on mobile phones no longer limited, and this change can only be continued irreversible, this change is bound to have a far-reaching impact.

New era of Internet portal super App+Web App comes

First of all, from a hardware point of view, with the release of the Apple iPhone 6, hardware performance improvements have wiped out the performance disadvantages of HTML5.

The strategy of Apple and Google is also changing. At the end of 2013, Google released Android 4.4 built-in Webview is no longer the Android Webkit, but the chromium. The performance of HTML5 on the iPhone 5 in 2012 has been satisfactory, and Satro's exclusive Javascript acceleration engine, Nitro, is no longer important. And after the release of iOS8.0, Apple also removed the limitation of third-party programs calling Nitro. Now any browser or application that calls iOS's UIWebview can take advantage of Nitro's acceleration. The intentional or unintentional change of the two mobile giants has made HTML5 no longer a limitation on the development of mobile platforms.

For developers, why developers are not willing to develop WP version, many times because of too much work, in addition to version adaptation, resolution adjustment, etc. Once a new version is introduced, developers in the native app have to wait Up to two weeks for review. In addition, content maintenance is also troublesome, which is why some media began to abandon the reason why native apps encourage readers to use Web App. In addition to this, cross-platform developers are experiencing painful experiences in the multi-screen era, and people are looking forward to the ideal situation where Java was once compiled. HTML5 is currently playing the role of a developer savior.

This is the reason why many HTML5-based open source technology frameworks have been born in the past two years and are very popular among users. Cloud Adaptor is a small company with only two years of experience. They are mainly based on HTML5 to implant a line of JS code on the PC website to realize the mobile adaptation of the PC website. In 2014, it launched China's first open source HTML5 cross-screen front-end framework. Amaze UI has received nearly 100,000 downloads in just 3 months, helping many small and medium-sized enterprises successfully build their own Web App and earning nearly 2,000 users' star rating on GitHub, the world's largest social programming and code hosting site. , Become the most popular HTML5 open source framework in China. All this means that HTML5 brings about a shift in the direction of the mobile Internet.
How many apps are installed in your phone? What are the most commonly used ones?

The most likely answer is that I use "WeChat, QQ, or other browsers" and so on called Super App.

For other more native apps, you must first enter the App Store. You must enter the password for each download, and Android has to go through a series of permission confirmations, installations, and so on. The user costs required for downloading and installing the App will become a part of everyone. Use the obstacles of the app. However, in the Web App, all this is not a problem. It greatly reduces the user's cost of use. When the user sees a point of interest, he or she should immediately begin to satisfy the user's needs. For example, streaming media can be immediately viewed and page play can be played immediately.

The HTML5 application diversion is also very easy, Super App (such as the WeChat friends circle), search engine, application market, browser, is full of HTML5-based Web App traffic portal. The traffic entrance of the native App is only the application market.

What can be seen at present is that all major browsers at home and abroad are promoting Web App, and the effect has gradually emerged. However, it can be foreseen that native apps will occupy the mainstream in a short period of time. However, based on the flaws and thresholds of native apps, the trend of mobile Internet in the future may be realized in HTML5.
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