In case you haven’t heard already, LinkedIn recently released a much anticipated iPad app that is getting pretty good reviews.
As it turns out, LinkedIn for iPad is a lot more HTML 5 web app than it is native iPad application. According to an exclusive report by Venture Beat, LinkedIn for iPad is 95% HTML 5 and only 5% native iPad app.
The BlackBerry PlayBook is known to have one of the best HTML5 implementations in a mobile device, thus, the question has to be asked…
Might we see an HTML 5 LinkedIn for BlackBerry PlayBook application any time soon?
An even larger question is will we see other companies like LinkedIn opt for mobile web apps compared to native, device specific apps?
There is no question that one of the strategies RIM is banking on to get itself out of the app doldrum that it currently finds itself in is the adoption of mobile web app development that is mostly device independent.
A real problem for developers is that they have to develop an app multiple times for multiple platforms. They often have to make a call on the one, maybe two, platforms that they will spend their time on. Generally they opt for iOS and Android because more than 80% of smartphone and tablet users are either using iOS or Android devices.
Developers tend to want their apps to be available to as many people as possible, so, developing native apps for the most popular platforms makes sense.
It also makes sense, however, that if a developer could create a web app that is 95% HTML5, we could see those apps go cross platform much more quickly, if not, be launched simultaneously…
Creating 95% of an app once is a heck of a lot easier than creating 80% to 100% of an app for every platform on which it will run.
HTML5 web app development is definitely a trend that is coming. As a BlackBerry PlayBook owner, I hope that it is a trend that comes sooner rather than later…