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Gartner Says by 2016 More than 50 Per Cent of Mobile Apps Deployed Will be Hybrid

13 – Gartner, Inc. said that hybrid apps, which offer a balance between HTML5-based web apps and native apps, will be used in more than 50 per cent of mobile apps by 2016.
While native application development offers the ultimate user experience and performance for mobile applications, the trade-off is often a fragmented set of development tools and multiple versions of an application to serve the same user need – because different versions must be made for each type of device or operating system. However, the promise of HTML5 with offline capabilities and animation-rich tools fell short of expectations, causing developers to consider hybrid architectures to better leverage mobile device capabilities.
“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,” said Van Baker, research vice president at Gartner.
While mobile becomes a requirement for everything, there is no single device that will meet all needs. Gartner forecasts that by the end of 2013, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common web access device worldwide and by 2016, PC shipments will be less than 50 per cent 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,” said Mr Baker.
In parallel, a wide variety of devices that provide alternate methods of access will proliferate, including set-top boxes, internet TVs, appliances, and wearable personal devices. All these devices will demand support from the business, and therefore a multi-device strategy is necessary and will need to be integrated into existing applications and architectures – not added separately.
“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,” said David Mitchell Smith, vice president and Gartner Fellow. However, different requirements for consumer (B2C) and enterprise (B2E) scenarios will result in very different uses of native, web and hybrid approaches (see Table 1).
“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,” said Mr Smith. “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.”
Additional information is available in the report “Predicts 2013: Portal and Web Technologies.” The report is available on Gartner-s web site at http://www.gartner.com/resId=2257216.
Gartner analysts will further discuss how HTML 5 and other new web technologies are evolving at the Gartner Application Architecture, Development & Integration Summit 2013, 16-17 May, in London. For more information please visit www.gartner.com/eu/aadi. Members of the press can register by contacting laurence.goasduff@gartner.com.
Additional information from the event will be shared on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Gartner_inc using #GartnerAADI.
About Gartner Application Architecture, Development & Integration Summit 2013
In 2013, it will be critical to manage the disruptive forces in how applications are designed, managed and consumed, caused by the Nexus of Forces, the convergence of cloud, mobile, big data and social. The analysts will discuss how the Nexus of Forces is radically changing the development of applications, but they will also help organisations how best to create, validate or revitalise their application strategy, and review the real cost and business value of cloud, service-oriented architecture and agile methodologies.

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world-s leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is a valuable partner in 12,400 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, and has 5,300 associates, including 1,390 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.