What would we do if we didn’t have a wakeup call in the morning from our trustworthy phone? If we didn’t have a digital space that enlightens us on the daily news and a few more pixels that show us the newest ‘funny cat’ clips wherever and whenever we want?
Not only the ability of our phones to connect and utilize the internet has drastically changed our life, but also applications. Those little boxes on our home screen have significantly simplified our daily routines and who’s there to complain about that?
Even though no one wants to sacrifice their beloved applications nowadays, people weren’t so happy about them when they first entered the market. For the vast majority of users, it was unimaginable how simple, freely downloadable applications could improve our ‘oh-so-highly-advanced’ cell phones. Little did most people know that nowadays there is an app for any kind of problem you could possibly face in your daily life. You can even measure your heart rate after just a quick trip to the app store.
But let me tell you, not everything that glitters is gold. There are also rather pointless apps out there haunting the limited databases of our smartphones. One of it might be a game called ‘I am bread’ and as the name suggests, it is about bread. A lonely slice of bread to be specific and the whole point of the game is to bring that sad slice of bread across the room to the toaster… and make a toast out of it. That’s it. Oh, and this app costs about $5 so… I mean it’s up to you what you spend your money on, but with $5 you can buy a whole lot of real bread and you would still have enough to get some jam on top.
Whether or not the apps available out there are pure gold, it is clear that something that has received mixed reviews, in the beginning, has transformed into a life-altering component in our everyday lives. So, its 2020 and in recent time a new form of application has emerged in the market, Progressive Web Apps.
How do Progressive Web Apps and Native Apps differ?
The main difference between a native app, the usual application we know all to well and have plenty of on our phones, and a Progressive Web App is that the common app is a data space that we download from a store onto our devices whereas PWAs do not require a download to be utilized.
In general, websites can be built and designed as PWAs and then a simple click on the ‘add to home screen’ button is enough to make full use of the application. They take up a lot less data space on your phone as there is no need to actually download the full content onto your device, you are rather accessing it through your internet browser. Nevertheless, PWA’s can also be utilized offline or with low connection.
Moreover, it can be accessed cross-platform, meaning you can use the same concept on your phone as well as on your laptop or tablet and a simple URL lets you share the content easily, just like you would with a standard website link.
We’ve uploaded a very comprehensive explanation on our Youtube channel which you can check out here: ‘PWA explained in under one 60 seconds’.
Why is the PWA superior to the Native App?
Besides all the facts we’ve just discussed that are very beneficial to the end-customer, such as less occupied storage space on the mobile devices, companies profit from PWAs immensely and it is obvious that even the big players are picking up on it. Some examples include the NASA, Starbucks and Facebook.
While your most important online asset, your website, is also your personalized application, other companies are still investing thousands and thousands of dollars into the development of applications that, in the end, serve the same purpose of their website.
Not only does it require a significant amount of investment that companies with a PWA save, but also an immense amount of marketing efforts to make people go all the way to actually download your expensive software project.
You have to motivate the people that visit your website to make the decision to invest time and data into an application that might not even satisfy their needs. They have to trust in the potential benefits of the native app and rely on reviews users posted to the app store.
The succession of these tiny, little decisions can make or break the success of the developed native app andis the determining factor on the ROI.
PWA owners, on the other hand, have a way more relaxed life. They already have the visitors on their side and only need the customers to click the little ‘add to home screen’ button. Their customers know what they are getting and they have to invest significantly less time into doing so. And all of this for a fraction of the price.
Will PWAs rule the world?
It is difficult to determine the success of new technology early on in its stages. There are still so many possibilities for this technology to be developed into something we cannot even think of, just like it happened to the native apps.
It shouldn’t go unnoticed that PWAs little brother paved the way for success, but only time will tell in how far Progressive Web Apps will overshadow the usual application.
Native apps will always be around just like there are still people looking up facts in lexicons when there is an almost infinite pool of resources online that answers every possible question you could think of.
We strongly believe in the potential and power of Progressive Web Apps and truly want to make it more accessible to businesses and the public, hence we are continuously working on better solutions for our customers to implement PWAs into their businesses.
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