Will Super App + Web App dominate the future of mobile Internet?

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Since W3C released HTML4 in 1999, the Web world has developed rapidly and prospered. People once thought that the HTML standard did not need to be upgraded. Some companies dedicated to the development of Web Apps established the WHATWG organization. It was not until 2007 that W3C took over the relevant work from WHATWG and started to develop HTML5 again.

Looking at the development of HTML5, it has been full of twists and turns. It is driven by the needs of users, the needs of technical developers, and huge commercial interests. In the past few years, HTML5 has subverted the pattern of PC Internet. A small game called "Crazy Cat" in WeChat Moments has opened up people's various fantasies about mobile Internet and optimized the experience of mobile Internet. Next, mobile Internet will have a new entrance, and web apps dominated by super apps + HTML5 will subvert the native app mobile Internet world.

The gray period of traditional browser + HTML5 combination

In the process of upgrading the HTML5 standard, Apple and Google also saw the opportunity to reshuffle the browser market. They participated in the HTML5 specification while focusing on browser products. Apple first began to vigorously develop Safari and established the WebKit open source project, with multiple platforms including Mac, iOS, and Windows. Google initially sponsored Mozilla to develop Firefox, and later 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" was launched in the new generation of browser wars.

With the rapid development of Chrome and Safari, and the decline of IE+Flash, HTML5 came to an end and entered the next era - mobile Internet. The cross-platform advantage of HTML5 is further highlighted in the mobile Internet era. HTML5 is the only cross-platform language that covers all mainstream platforms such as PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone, etc. Java and Flash both dreamed of this position, but the dream was broken by iOS. At this time, people began to study the development of cross-platform mobile applications based on HTML5. Many people thought that native applications were just a transition, just like the transition from C/S structure to B/S structure. Moreover, learning Objective-C and Java is very difficult. Since you know web development, why not try HTML5.

At this time, W3C established the Device API Working Group, which expanded mobile-specific APIs such as Camera and GPS for HTML5. However, the problem was that the iterations of the early mobile Internet were too fast, and mobile OS was constantly expanding hardware APIs, such as gyroscopes, distance sensors, barometers, etc. Every year, mobile OS had major version updates. HTML5 did not keep up with the rapid iterations of the early mobile Internet.

The emergence of PhoneGap opened a window for developers. Many people expected PhoneGap to continuously expand its API to supplement the deficiencies of browsers. Adobe saw PhoneGap as a hope to revive its status in the industry, but after Adobe acquired PhoneGap, it found that this thing was not commercially viable enough, and open source made it impossible for Adobe to obtain commercial benefits like Flash, so it donated PhoneGap to Apache and renamed it Cordova.

For various reasons, Cordova was not positioned as a browser enhancement, but rather as a hybrid development. Based on the background at the time, they believed that native was irreplaceable, and the hybrid model of "native + HTML5" made more sense.

At this time, Facebook joined W3C and took the lead in establishing the Mobile Web Working Group. Facebook is in the Web circle and does not have its own territory on mobile OS. It does not like the native application ecosystem controlled by Apple and Google. The important goal of the Mobile Web Working Group is to make web applications developed with HTML5 achieve the experience of native applications. However, things did not go as planned, and the result was failure despite efforts. In 2012, the news that Facebook gave up HTML5 filled the IT media around the world, and HTML5 was instantly relegated to the cold palace.

Before HTML5 was finalized, most domestic browsers already supported HTML5, and many mobile browsers, including UC, were eager to develop Web Apps to offset the traffic consumed by native Apps. Before HTML5, Web Apps once tried to compete with native Apps for mobile desktops, but due to the inherent defects of Web Apps—stuttering and inability to push, etc., their experience was far behind that of native Apps, resulting in the fact that mobile desktops are still dominated by native Apps.

HTML5 finalized WebApp and it quickly rose

Why did Facebook abandon HTML5? This incident has even been used by people with ulterior motives to criticize HTML5 and Web Apps.

The core reason was that it was really difficult to make good mobile apps based on HTML5 at that time. Compared with native apps of competitors such as Twitter, Facebook's HTML5 version really could not satisfy users. For example, the Push function, the gap between HTML5 push and native push experience is still huge, not to mention the many problems of HTML5 application page switching white screen, pull-down refresh/side-slide menu not smooth, etc. Seeing native engineers easily implement functions such as shake, QR code, voice input, share to Moments, etc., HTML5 engineers felt that they were on the wrong side.

Even if Facebook doesn't like being controlled, it can't risk being abandoned by users. Moreover, Facebook doesn't have a grasp of the key point - the mobile browser kernel. If the browser doesn't keep up, it will be useless to set a bunch of standard drafts that won't be implemented.

Be it Facebook or PhoneGap, it is impossible to get a piece of the pie in the early days of mobile Internet, but if you persist, opportunities will often appear.

Finally, at the end of October 2014, W3C announced that HTML5 was officially finalized. This time was neither too early nor too late, as hardware performance was stronger and the iteration speed of mobile OS was slowing down. The finalization of HTML5 heralded the start of a new era.

For mobile devices, the improvement of hardware performance has leveled the shortcomings of HTML in terms of mobility, while also supplementing streaming media and gaming capabilities. In terms of industry support, starting from the latest Android 5.0, Webview can be updated in real time through the Google Play Store, consistent with Chrome upgrades, so users can enjoy the latest browser engine without flashing their devices; after the release of iOS 8, Apple was very tactful and removed the restrictions on third-party programs calling Nitro. Now any browser or application that calls iOS's UIWebview can use Nitro acceleration.

Google released Android 4.4 at the end of 2013. The built-in Webview is no longer the crappy Android WebKit browser, but Chromium, which has greatly improved 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, so users can enjoy the latest browser engine without flashing the phone; looking at Apple, after the release of iPhone 5 in 2012, the performance of HTML5 on iOS has been satisfactory, and Safari's exclusive JavaScript acceleration engine Nitro is no longer so important. However, after the release of iOS 8, Apple still tactfully cancelled the restriction on third-party programs calling Nitro. Now any browser or application calling iOS's UIWebview can use Nitro acceleration, so it is also possible to use JS for large-scale calculations on the front end.

The attitudes of the two major mobile operating system giants and browser giants have changed, making the development of HTML5 on mobile phones no longer restricted. Moreover, this change is irreversible and can only move forward. This change is bound to have far-reaching impacts.

The era of the new Internet portal Super App + Web App is coming

First of all, from the hardware aspect, with the release of Apple iPhone6, the improvement of hardware performance has eliminated the performance disadvantage of HTML5. The strategies of Apple and Google are also changing. The built-in Webview of Android 4.4 released by Google at the end of 2013 is no longer Android Webkit, but Chromium. The performance of HTML5 on iPhone5 in 2012 is already satisfactory, and Nitro, the exclusive Javascript acceleration engine of Safari, is no longer so important. Moreover, after the release of iOS8.0, Apple also lifted the restrictions on third-party programs calling Nitro. Now any browser or application calling iOS UIWebview can use Nitro acceleration. The changes made by the two mobile giants, intentional or unintentional, have made the development of HTML5 on the mobile platform no longer restricted.

As for developers, why are they reluctant to develop WP versions? In many cases, it is because the workload is too heavy. In addition to version adaptation, resolution adjustment, etc., once a new version is released, developers have to wait up to two weeks for review in native apps. In addition, content maintenance is also very troublesome, which is why some media have begun to abandon native apps and encourage readers to use Web apps. In addition, cross-platform gives developers a very painful experience in the multi-screen era. People are looking forward to the ideal situation of Java once compiled and run everywhere. HTML5 is currently playing the role of a developer savior.

This is also the reason why many open source technology frameworks based on HTML5 have been born in the past two years and are very popular among users.

How many apps do you have installed on your phone? Which ones do you use most often?

Perhaps the most common answer is that I use "WeChat, QQ, or other browsers" and other so-called super apps.

For other native apps, you have to enter the App Store first and enter a password every time you download. Android has to go through a series of permission confirmations and installations. The user cost required for app download and installation has become a barrier to everyone's use of apps to a certain extent. However, in Web Apps, all of this is not a problem. It greatly reduces the user's cost of use. When the user sees a point of interest and clicks it, the user's needs should be met immediately. For example, streaming media can be watched immediately, and web games can be played immediately.

It is also very easy to divert traffic to HTML5 applications. Super Apps (such as WeChat Moments), search engines, application markets, and browsers are all traffic entrances for HTML5-based Web Apps. However, the only traffic entrance for native apps is the application market.

Currently, we can see that major browsers at home and abroad are promoting Web Apps, and the effect has gradually emerged. However, it is foreseeable that native Apps will still dominate the market in the short term, but based on the defects and barriers of native Apps themselves, the future trend of mobile Internet may be realized in HTML5.

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