Seven News to launch iPad app
Seven News is launching a free application that can run on the iPhone and iPad. The app, which will be available at 7news.com.au/apps later this month, is supported by a promotional video.
Users that pre-register for the app will be entered in a competition to win an iPad 2.
Why do media organisations, agencies and marketers still keep making native mobile apps and spending tens and hundreds of thousands on native apps for single operating systems?
Unless you are monetising content, ie. charging for the app, you are wasting your time and money, significantly complicating your efforts and reducing your agility.
HTML5 is the best way to go as it is device agnostic. You will be using existing web developer skills, you don’t need to develop and invest in a different native app for each of the different mobile platforms (iOS, Android, Windows etc) , you don’t need to go through App Store approvals whenever you make changes or fix bugs and you can get a simpler and deeper integration into other Internet or eCommerce related experiences.
There are hundreds of thousands of apps in App Stores and unless you are prepared to significantly invest in making people aware of it being there there is almost no other benefit besides one click commerce – assuming you are charging for your app.
Almost everyone (outside of Australia) is investing heavily in HTML5. Vendors such as WebTrends, radian6, Facebook, YouTube and hundreds of businesses and organisations are moving this way including org’s like Commonwealth Bank. Try the WebTrends experience on iPad or check out just this one example for Sports Illustrated http://bit.ly/m6vULs
HTML5 means you aren’t locked into a mobile operating system which will undoubtedly change in terms of market share. Most marketers and media have bet the farm on iOS but Android has now overtaken it on Smartphones and then when Windows8 (desktop and tablets) and then the Windows Mobile Mango update is released, market shares will change again.
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Android may have overtaken Apple on smartphones but it’s nowhere near it on tablets. Tablets are very different beasts for consuming content.
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HTML5 and CSS is not a replacement technology for the native experience. You’re living in lala land if you think you can do the same thing.
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Dear @Knotty if you truly believe that good luck!
For the majority of apps that exist today there is almost nothing a HTML5 version of those existing native mobile apps for things like banking, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, magazines, newspapers and almost anything else you can think of that can’t be done.
Commonwealth Bank app – everything can be done by a HTML5 version
Foursquare – as above
Twitter – as above
7News – as above
Groupon – as above
Yes, there are some very minor examples of limitations but for the overwhelming majority of functional and experience requirements and purpose, it can all be done outside of a native mobile application through HTML5 and CSS3.
Further, contrary to widely held beliefs, people actually prefer to use the mobile browser vs native apps for a large percentage of tasks / functionality:
Mobile Users Prefer Browsers over Apps – http://bit.ly/dmWN8C
Gen Y Chooses Mobile Web – http://bit.ly/glOJIH
Don’t Create an App for App’s Sake – http://bit.ly/mnLW7I
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So long as Apple makes beautiful devices, I’ll buy them. But because they force pissweak Safari upon me I favour pretty aggregators like Flipboard and clever native apps like USAToday. I’d be happy to consume Seven’s content and if the app is pretty, I’ll return again and again.
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for the mac users hype is the new html5 web site maker…as simple as flash!!
and completely universal..
the bitching about flash( and expensive APP development) is over?..hopefully!
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@Martin, how would you send a push notification from a webapp?
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Well atleast the promo looks great 🙂
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