Mobile devices with HTML5-compatible browsers are expected to increase by 87% to reach a total of 1.4 billion units by the end of 2013, according to reports from ABI Research.
The use of the web will be driven by two parallel trends: integration of browsers in operating system and hardware support in chip level, according to the report.
The use will be driven by the integration of HTML5 features and browsers in the operating systems itself to make the web apps faster and more responsive.
Integration of browser in the operating system will be mainly driven by the open-source platforms like Firefox OS, Sailfish, Tizen, and Ubuntu.
Other significant factor could be Android’s eventual convergence with Chrome, the report added.
ABI Research senior analyst Aapo Markkanen said that there’s a lot of scope to achieve a more robust HTML5 support already in the chip level.
"Especially Intel has lately displayed strategic interest in pushing the envelope here. Also Samsung’s collaboration with Mozilla to develop a whole new browser engine, dubbed Servo, is worth following. A truly ground-up mobile browser could certainly ease the bottleneck that currently holds back the mobile web,"Markkanen said.
Markkanen said that two years ago it looked like 2013 could be the Year of Web App, but now it is looking like that this will prove more like the Year of Hybrid.
"HTML5 is making strides, but mainly through developers that take advantage of increasingly capable cross-platform development tools," Markkanen added.
"A truly ground-up mobile browser could certainly ease the bottleneck that currently holds back the mobile web.
