GigaOM Pro

Simple solutions that combine the two platforms will save developers time, money and man power.

When the Financial Times suddenly announced earlier this year that it was switching mobile gears from a native iOS app to build a web app, many in the industry took it as a sign that the dominance of the native mobile app was coming to an end. The paper's choice had much to do with its position as a subscription-based business. While it shows that high-profile apps are going around important distribution channels like Apple's App Store, the move doesn't necessarily spell the the decline of the native app.