Hybrid apps, which are aimed at offering a balance between HTML5-based web apps and native apps, will be deployed in about 50% of mobile apps by 2016, according to a new report from Gartner.
The report revealed that native application development would offer improved user experience and performance for mobile applications, while the trade-off is a fragmented set of development tools and multiple versions of an app to deal with the same user requirements, as different versions have to be developed for each of device or operating system.
Conversely, the assurance of HTML5 with offline abilities and animation-rich tools failed to meet the expected requirements, leading developers to mull over hybrid architectures to better leverage capabilities of mobile devices.
Gartner research vice president Van Baker said: "The BYOD trend and the increased pressure on organisations to deploy mobile applications to accommodate mobile work styles of employees will lead businesses to manage a portfolio of mobile application architectures, and hybrid architectures will be especially well-suited to business-to-employee applications."
The research firm forecasts that by late 2013, mobile phones will surpass PCs as the most common web access device globally, and by 2016, PC shipments are anticipated to be below 50% of combined PC and tablet shipments.
"The implications for IT is that the era of PC dominance with Windows as the single platform will be replaced with a post-PC era where Windows is one of a variety of environments that IT will need to support," Baker said.
Additionally, several other devices that offer alternate methods of access, including set-top boxes, internet TVs, appliances, and wearable personal devices are projected to multiply.
These devices are also forecast to demand support from the business, leading to the requirement of a multi-device strategy and to be integrated into current applications and architectures.
Gartner vice president David Mitchell Smith said while hybrid apps will be the majority of enterprise mobile apps, web technologies like HTML5 will make up the most commonly used languages for building mobile applications by 2015.
"We recommend organisations are open to augmentations to the Web (such as hybrid Application Development) to deploy on mobile today, with the goal that more should be done without those augmentations after 2015," Smith said.
"Organisations also need to continue to develop web technology skills, find the right uses for promising new technologies and approaches like HTML5, and deal with the uncertainty and speed of the consumer-driven mobile landscape.
"All the while it’s important to maintain IT governance while increasing productivity and usability."
