Most mobile application developers are still building single-platform apps, when there is hybrid, cross-app technology available that transfers 70-80% of the code from the originally built app to enable faster building of mobile apps for multiple platforms.

A Q3 2010 survey by Forrester Research’s Peter Sheldon presented in conjunction with Kony Solutions suggests that 61% of app developers were building native apps, 15% were using rich internet app plugins, 10% were using Oracle’s Java ME, 10% were using hybrid apps (including mobile middleware), and 9% were doing something different entirely.

While it may not seem like we are moving to a hybrid mobile app world right away, there are leading providers like Kony Solutions who are making cross-platform apps a reality.

Beyond that, Peter Ferenczi predicts that native or single-platform apps will die a slow death as HTML5 emerges, the first major revision of the HTML standard since 1997.

“An article in MIT’s Technology Review hypothesizes that web apps taking advantage of HTML5 capabilities could soon displace platform-specific apps. In theory, web apps coded for HTML5 will run on any compliant browser, making the underlying platform irrelevant. Web apps are nothing new — the iPhone launched with nothing but web apps — but new web standards eliminate some of the frustrations that crippled earlier efforts. Perhaps most critically, HTML5 lets web apps run even without a network connection”.

Ferenczi is fair in closing: “HTML5 will likely see a new crop of successful web apps and more satisfying interactive web pages, but it may be quite a while before mobile hardware is powerful enough to guarantee a good experience with web apps across devices and platforms”.

The HTML5 standard’s logo was officially released as of April 1st, 2011 and represents the “cornerstone for modern web applications”.

That cornerstone has Research In Motion looking well set for 2012 and beyond with the newly released QNX operating system on tablets coming to smartphones as well which has the capability to run web apps.

Further, for those used to traditional Android apps, Blackberry will allow you to download those too as apps evolve from native to hybrid to HTML5 web-enabled- for there’s always a few bumps along the way with new technology before near perfection is achieved.

Author: Dan Verhaeghe is the Marketing Specialist and New Media Expert at McLoughlin Promotions. He can be reached @mcloughlinpromo, [email protected] or at 905-238-8973