The Death of the Web?

http://danieltenner.com/posts/0019-mac-app-store.html

by ttol • 16 years ago

20 23 16 years ago

This should really be titled something like "App Store will replace/compliment (or already is replacing/complimenting) some components of the Web"

No where near "Death of the Web"

grhino• 16 years ago

Many iPhone Apps embed the kit web browser to provide core functionality in the app.

helwr• 16 years ago

+1, I hit the browser's back button as soon as I see Mac, Iphone or App Store somewhere on the page. The misleading title wasted me those precious 2 seconds.

cryptoz• 16 years ago

Inflammatory title. Come on, seriously? The vast majority of people don't own iOS devices, but access the web through a variety of other OSs. Given that Android is outpacing iOS and that both are extremely popular, the Web is the obvious way to target both.

The Web is important because you can use it without regard for what type of computer you're using.

swombat3• 16 years ago

As I mention in my article, what you say is true, but hasn't stopped iOS apps from taking off. Yes, many people won't be able to use Mac OS App Store apps because they don't have Macs, but that won't be a problem to the web developers who switch to Mac, because they'll be willing to make the trade-off based on the hype and numbers that the Mac Store achieves.

Not everyone has a Mac, but enough people have one to make it worthwhile. And those Mac owners actually buy apps, unlike the vast majority of windows computer owners.

hvs• 16 years ago

And those Mac owners actually buy apps, unlike the vast majority of windows computer owners.

Wait. What?

Ataraxy• 16 years ago

As someone who specializes in mobile marketing I can tell you for a fact that you're assessment is misguided.

Please refer to: http://www.mobilemarketingwatch.com/emarketer-mobile-users-o...

jayliew• 16 years ago

Title makes me not bother clicking. I hate people who love to declare that things are dead. Fundamentally it's much easier to talk shit about someone's creation than it is to actually create something.

Pewpewarrows• 16 years ago

Sure, develop only for iOS devices if you feel like only targeting 6% of the PC and 14% of the mobile markets.

Or you can continue to develop web apps and hit 100% of internet-enabled devices.

bgrins• 16 years ago

One of the benefits that web development offers that the App Store doesn't is that the code you write runs on any machine that has a web browser. Certainly dealing with IE is a headache - but to completely discount that fact that it doesn't run on Windows and ignore the majority of potential paying customers seems silly to me.

Certainly people can and will make money selling software in the App Store - there are some good reasons why listed in the article - but I disagree that web developers being acquainted with Mac OS tools is going "to put a final nail in the web-coffin". Web development seems alive and well. It is not dying - it is still in it's awkward adolescent years.

swombat3• 16 years ago

Sorry about the title, folks. A rushed (and incorrect) decision, clearly. Will try and make keep it saner for the next one. Mea culpa.

bartl• 16 years ago

App stores could imply the dead of applications like Google Docs the office suite: there's actually no need to put your data on the web, except for the fact that the app requires it.

But for other applications, especially those that require a central database for all users (classic client/server setup), web applications still make the most sense.

fertel• 16 years ago

One of the main value propositions of web apps such as google docs is that your data is stored in the cloud and accessible to you AND others on any machine that has a modern web browser. The value I currently get out of local Microsoft Excel over Google Spreadsheets is waning as the quality of such web applications increase. I think the mac app store is going to be great for single functionality novelty apps, but any serious product, especially those that require a lot of collaboration will stay on and continue to move to the web.

drpancake• 16 years ago

"But for many, the web is a shortcut to avoid the problems of piracy and distribution."

I think this misses the point. The web won because it's inherently cross-platform. The iOS walled garden is the exact opposite of this.

The real trend is towards 'apps' in general (read: Chrome Web Store).

Vivtek2• 16 years ago

The death of spoken language? The death of the book? The death of the inkpen? The death of the phone system? The death of the desktop computer? Mainframe?

Sigh.

tomjen3• 16 years ago

How many inkpens or mainframes did you use during the last month? How many might you have used 50 years ago?

Vivtek2• 16 years ago

I know I used one mainframe - I access my Chase Manhattan bank account online on a regular basis. You think they're running Haskell on Unix? Or COBOL on big iron?

My point is that new technologies typically coexist with the old ones for a very long time indeed, and talking about the "death" of something is generally hype.