The Future Is Cross-Platform
This post was originally published on Wiredelta.
Many mobile development agencies use native technologies to build outstanding app experiences. They often justify the choice of building native mobile apps - maintaining multiple codebases for their clients - by referring to Zuckerberg’s infamous 2012 statement; “betting on cross-platform HTML5 over native was the biggest mistake in Facebook’s history”. The world of software has changed since Zuckerberg made that statement, and cross-platform mobile frameworks are on the rise.
Contrary to native apps, cross-platform or hybrid mobile apps use a single codebase that can be deployed to iOS, Android and soon maybe Huawei HongMeng OS. By doing so, programmers only need to develop, test and maintain one application, saving precious time. The downside is that cross-platform apps have often been critizised for being lower quality than native apps. Historically, this has been true, but cross-platform frameworks like React Native and Ionic are closing the gap. It is no secret that Wiredelta has been betting big on cross-platform for years. We made that choice knowing that it would be a bet for the long haul. Our short term goals would suffer from that choice, but we were never in it for the short term gains. Today, we have built mobile apps and desktop apps with cross-platform frameworks, and maintain cost-effective for our clients for that main reason. Some of these clients include EGN, QEMPLOY and Freetrailer.
To get an idea of why Wiredelta's cross-platform bet was for the long term, and why it is the future, you only need to look at the evergrowing complexities in digital. We have watches, we have foldable phones and laptops, we have cars, we have desktops, all of which needs apps. Not just your iPhone or Android. With the incredible amount of devices and operating systems, the need for one codebase that can deploy applications to multiple systems supporting multiple devices, aka cross-platform, is on the rise. Just take a look at the four largest providers of operating systems out there, running on the 5th or more version:
- Apple: watchOS 5.x, iOS 12.x, MacOS
- Microsoft: Windows 10.x, which also includes Windows 10 Mobile
- Android: 9.x (Pie), which is branching out to foldables
- Linux: 5.x
And these are just operating systems. If you take into account the vast ocean of devices, all with their own screen sizes, it becomes borderline ridiculous. For illustration, check out this picture of just the myriad of Android-powered Samsung devices:
Let me repeat, these are just Samsung devices! This trend is not going to stop, every indication you can find concludes that we will get more devices, more screen sizes, and more operating systems (or versions thereof).
The natural response to a more complex digital world is cross-platform development tools and frameworks. There are already plenty of good options to choose from, and as the need continues to grow, so will the options for cross-platform frameworks. At Wiredelta, we cannot wait to enter an increasingly cross-platform world!