Hands up those of us who remember the early days of the internet – and we apologize for the sudden realization of how old you are getting. For our younger readers out there or those who missed out on the dialing up of an incredibly slow experience, let’s just say that the first few years were painfully slow. On the upside of this, if you can call it an upside, this meant that a huge amount of emphasis was put on the simplicity and directness of information. This also meant that most programs which could be built into a website were, rather than relying on outside apps. So how has this relationship evolved over time, and will we ever see one beat out the other?
The Success of the Browser
It made sense for browsers to be as central as possible for the early internet. Have everything you want collected in one spot and you reduce the amount of wasted time. Glacial connection speed meant everything must be simple, efficient, and understandable. This was, naturally, further inhibited by the early forms of browser tech (any Netscape fans out there?). As computers slowly became more powerful, followed by a commensurate increase in internet bandwidth, it became possible to increase the capabilities of browsers, and so that is exactly what happened.
This has been an ongoing process over the years, with each year and decade opening up what browsers can do, pushing their potential even further. While there have always been those programs which exist outside of the relatively stricter environment of the browser, it wasn’t until after one huge development which apps really took off.
The Rise of the App
The first cell phones earned the nickname bricks for obvious reasons, and few of us who owned these first versions saw the big step coming. Smartphones, as they would grow to be called, were an explosive development in mobile devices, far exceeding mere phones and pushing into the territory of futuristic PDAs. The problem here was that the browser environment was more limited than their desktop counterparts, and so the solution to this problem was the dominance of the app.
Apps could cover an enormous amount of what mobile browser programs could not and were, at that point, an untapped marketplace. This took many forms, with businesses which were always on top of the internet for new technological developments such as mobile casino and smaller game based companies among the first to show the real potential of what was on offer, with live streaming and real-time gaming becoming the norm.
An Integrated Future
At this point, we are at somewhat of a tug of war between apps and browser systems. While app development tools are better than ever, there is still and always will be a call for systems with basic browser integration. As browsers improve, these can become even more complex, further reaching into the potential of the app. That said, apps will also improve alongside the technology, meeting pull with pull. Where is the inevitable end of this competition?
While it is possible that browsers will eventually become so efficient and integrated that they render apps obsolete, indications are that if this happens, it is a long way off. Many companies simply cover their bases, using both apps and browser-based systems to get the best of both worlds, a process which is limited only really by the financial situation of the company, but one which becomes cheaper and more viable with each passing week. There are sure to be many more bumps in the road when it comes to the constant and utterly unofficial battle between apps and browsers, and we can’t help but want to see what comes next.
