UKH

So my partner now has a tablet & she is slowly learning how to use it. But she keeps asking me what to do when she visits websites such as MéteoFrance or Le Monde & they suggest she installs their apps. What, if any, is the advantage of installing such apps rather than using the website as on an 'ordinary' PC ?

In reply to Doug:

Better to use the website if you can, no sign up, no down load.
If the website does not have a responsive website then the app would probably be better.

J

In reply to Doug:

User experience is 'usually' better in an app, but as Jason points out if the the website is 'responsive' (meaning it recognizes what type of device you're using and configures the content accordingly), it doesn't really matter if you use App or Website.

The real benefit of using an App from a tablet is that you can navigate directly from your home screen and tailor the settings to deliver you (or your wife) content you want. For example, I'd imagine the MeteoFrance app would use your tablets GPS to tell you what the weather is in your current location without having to use the search function.

In reply to JMGLondon:

HTML5 introduced the geolocation API so a website on an appropriately enabled device could use your location as well - the spec says that the user must give permission before it can be used.

In reply to Bob:

Ah, so it did. Guessing you'd need an up to date browser?

In reply to JMGLondon:

http://caniuse.com/#search=geo So basically IE9 onwards, people on Chrome and Firefox usually update regularly so not as much an issue.

In reply to Bob:


There's very little a properly built website can't do that an app can these days - I work in digital marketing and spend half my time trying to convince clients they don't need an app. But as mentioned, things like weather apps are useful.

For the record I use La Chaine Méteo and find that despite living in a very obscure valley it's pretty accurate.

One big benefit of apps like (taking examples of apps I use) The Guardian or The Economist, are that they cache content offline so I can read content on flights etc where there is no data signal.

Many thanks, so few real advantages, other than maybe being able to read articles 'off line' (although I find Le Monde unreadable without blocking adverts & I'm not sure what flashing adds the app will have). So how come they seem to be everywhere ?

In reply to yorkshireman:

Well there's the Manifest http://caniuse.com/#search=manifest for offline caching of content but I don't know how many sites use it.

Going off-topic (since when has that stopped anyone on UKC ) a lot of the HTML5 modules were aimed at making web pages more "app like". Originally Apple recommended web-page based "apps" before they realised that they could make lots of money from native apps and created the App Store. There's advantages and disadvantages to both.

In reply to Doug:


Well I think we've oversimplified but it's a horses for courses situation. Partly because lots of people like my clients believe the hype and decide they must have an app, there are so many out there.

But select apps do specific jobs very well. Just looking on my phone at the apps I have where I would either prefer them over a website, or they simply wouldn't work with a website include:

Spotify
Instagram
Facebook
Youtube
Strava
Garmin Connect
Twitter
Swarm
Weather Crave (was La Chaine Meteo, it's changed names)
Economist
Guardian
WhatsApp
Netflix
Google Translate
Tunein Radio
Credit Agricole
Gmail
Mail and Calendar for work

Pretty soon you get quite a long list. These are apps I use every day too, not stuff I've downloaded and don't often touch. Just try stuff and if it suits you keep it - if not, don't.

In reply to Doug:

This obsession with Apps is a fashion rather than it driving a real advantage...

for example a car insurance app that tells you how to make a claim, track your claim etc.

Lots of money being invested in this sort of thing by insurance co's the question is will customers actually want an app on their phone to do this when they can just make a phone call? is there a benefit in having an App sitting on your phone/tablet taking up space when for most people it will be several years (and insurance companies) between claims?

On the other hand Aviva's app includes other stuff like an approximation for driving smoothness that will give a discount on insurance - worthless because it's easy to fool, but gimmicky enough that customers might use it and keep it on their phone a while longer

In reply to balmybaldwin:

It's a very valid point. In reality, this market is still in its infancy and companies are working out how to make best use of app vs responsive site.

IMO, Amazon have got the balance right. If you don't know what you want and need to search for it, the site is best. But if you know exactly what you need their app is so efficient. Last night I found and ordered a book, and requested it to be delivered to a different address, in under 3 mins using the app. I know it was 3 minutes because I did it all between Vauxhall and Waterloo.