The day the iPad launched, Cellit was flooded with calls. “Can you build us an iPad app?” “Do we need an iPad version of our mobile site?”
These calls were in addition to our standard “can we add a banner ad to our iPhone app?” “Can we add a link here and a link there on our iPhone app back to our site?”
The collective sigh of exhaustion in our office was only muffled by the collective sound of our eyes rolling.
And all of these collective sounds are coming from our app developers as they spin round and round writing thousands of lines of code, trying to keep up with the demand and difficult maintenance… all thinking to themselves: “is this the best way”?
You see, let me let you in on a little secret. Are you close to your monitor? That’s it… get in good and close. Is anybody around? Here it goes :
Not everyone needs an app!
There, I said it. And I’ll say it again. Not everyone needs an app.
Apple, with it’s shiny buttons and sexy interfaces, has cast the world into a spell that every brand needs an iPhone app… and a sexy iPad app as well. Well, the problem, my friends, is that Apple is not going to be on top very long. Unfortunately, it’s not entirely known as to who has the most market share… according to NPD group, Android beat out Apple. Then again, Neilsen still shows Apple with a commanding lead. (These reports came out within days of each other.) All I can tell you is that everybody and anybody (Motorola, HTC, Samsung, Dell, Lenovo–even Garmin) are coming out with Android phones. Motorola alone will be launching 20 Android models alone this year!. So, this leaves us with a question: if you’re developing an app for the iPhone (and the two million lucky few in the world that have an iPad) are you developing for the 2nd most popular platform?
Yes, this certainly is a good question. But it’s not the right question you should be asking. The right question is: “Can my app needs be better accomplished through a mobile site than an app?”
Let’s talk through the benefits of a mobile site, and see if you find any of the following appealing:
1. Near-Universal Access: Unlike an iPhone app that will only run on 1 platform, mobile sites run on (nearly) any modern day mobile device.
2. Immediate Availability: Are your users going to take the time to go to the app store and download your app, or are they going to want to just have the information available?
3. Easy Maintenance/Single Platform: Even the best programmer will release code with a bug or two in it. On the mobile web, you update the code centrally and all users will be instantly fixed. Not so in the world of apps: you’ll have users out there forever who will refuse to update their app and will continue to complain about bugs. Additionally, every time there is a new feature to share, your users will need to update their apps as well. (As I write this, I have 6 apps that I haven’t updated on my phone… I wonder what I’m missing out on? Oh, bother, I’m too lazy to find out…)
4. Real-time Availability: Every time we change an app (or release a new one), we are faced with a week of delays as Apple approves the program. Some things are just none of Apple’s business!
5. Cost: Apps take longer to build and require more expensive programmers. Every time you add a new link or a new image, you’re looking at about 3-5x the costs of changes to a mobile site.
The worst part of the app madness is the maintenance. Is your company ready to have app maintainers for Apple iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Mobile, and Blackberry apps? Or would you prefer to simply update a mobile site?
Now, sure, there are times when it makes sense to have an app. But, by and large, most companies can get a substantially better bang for the buck with just a mobile site. If it’s the icon on the phone’s “desktop” that people want, there are simple ways to do this too, without developing an app.
If you decide you’re ready to take the mobile site plunge, or app plunge, just give us a ring. We’re happy to advise.
