Mobile App or Mobile Web?

A recent panel of prominent VCs declared that Mobile Apps will continue to dominate the Mobile Web.

10) The native mobile application will continue to dominate the mobile Web: Gurley says consumers have voted and that’s not going to change anytime soon. You can’t deliver one-click services on the desktop. Also, the phone is the only computer platform in most of the developing world. The browser and search platform is finally maturing, and Google knows it, so they’re moving up the stack. As a result, the whole area of apps will become more dangerous for startups. The panel largely agrees with him, though Lee isn’t completely sure. She’s tending more in the last couple of years to pull up the mobile Web because she has too damn many apps. Still, most of the audience agrees. Forbes

I see a more balanced competition in the future. The mobile web and apps are two different animals that don’t replace each other, but instead will continue to co-exist.

Both are equally important because users will find their way to your product through both channels. One may dominate your particular value proposition or use case — sure—and you will optimize for that one first. But there’s no question you will need to optimize for both channels.

Now that most web traffic is coming from mobile devices, it’s easy to imagine new mobile web browsers (and website standards) that will improve the web experience on mobile devices. I think we’ll see innovation that balances the playing field here.

My take: it will be mobile web and mobile apps in equal measure.