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The Web is the Mobile Future, Not Apps

Apple's AppStore does not represent the future of the mobile industry, says Google Engineering VP and developer evangelist Vic Gundotra. Speaking at an industry conference in San Francisco on Thursday, Gundotra said that the future belonged to the Web, and that users would get their information and entertainment from browsers in the future. He also claimed that even Google is not rich enough to support all of the different mobile platforms from Apple's AppStore to those of BlackBerry, Android, Windows Mobile, and others.

"What we clearly see happening is a move to incredibly powerful browsers," Gundotra said. "Many, many applications can be delivered through the browser and what that does for our costs is stunning. We believe the web has won and over the next several years, the browser, for economic reasons almost, will become the platform that matters and certainly that's where Google is investing."

Gundotra added that even Apple CEO Steve Jobs had said, "Build for the web," when the iPhone was launched, but the idea had met with resistance from developers. The timing may not have right, Gundotra said, but "the rate of innovation in the browser [over the past 12 months] is surprising. I think Steve really did understand that, over the long term, it would be the web, and I think that's how things will play out."

Read the whole story at FT Techblog »

1 comment about "The Web is the Mobile Future, Not Apps ".
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  1. Scott Thomsen from launchmedia, Inc., July 22, 2009 at 12:52 p.m.

    A lot has been made of the debate between "apps" and the mobile web... What is the future?? Let's all forget about the "how" and really think about the "what" and "why"... What does the consumer want to do and why do they want to do it. What is is that the marketer want's to convey and understand about the interaction and why do they want to do it.

    If you asked 100 iPhone useres if they could tell the difference between an "app" and an optimized website with an icon on the phonetop... 99 would say no. They would be able to tell you what they get from the information...

    Begin with the end in mind... then talk through how to deliver it.

    Scott Thomsen
    sthomsen@launchmediainc
    http://www.launchmediainc.com
    http://www.twitter.com/scottthomsen

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