The future of the Mobile Web is strong

Russ Beattie has closed up shop for Mowser and people are rushing to declare the death of the mobile Web.

I like Russ, and was glad to see him back on the scene and blogging a storm, even if he can be a touch offensive from time to time ;)

But, just because he couldn’t find the right niche for Mowser, doesn’t mean the “mobile Web” is dead before born.

Take a look at what he really said:

In other words, I think anyone currently developing sites using XHTML-MP markup, no Javascript, geared towards cellular connections and two inch screens are simply wasting their time, and I’m tired of wasting my time.

I agree. Where are the mobile apps today? They are the iPhone specific ones, and a few stripped-down versions. The mobile Web is growing strong from where I sit. I just have to look around at how my own wife uses her laptop less and less, and her mobile browser more and more.

I am so bullish about the Web on the phone that I believe it will be THE platform for building mobile applications in the future.

If you are a hardcore mobile app builder you may snortle a little. Really? Cheesy Web technology can compete with rich application frameworks? Never.

They can, and they will. I was listening to someone talking about the battle of IPX versus NetBEUI. The viscous battle between Microsoft and Novell. This person said: “If you had told me that this TCP/IP thing would beat both of us I would have laughed in your face”. Some crappy thing uses in academia that doesn’t have all of the features that we do? In the battle of IPX and NetBEUI, TCP/IP won.

It will keep winning, and it will come to win in the mobile world. This is why I am excited aboutGears for Mobile, and any other work that will come through in HTML 5 and browsers such as Mobile Safari.

It may take awhile, but would you really bet against it? The mobile Web will just be the Web. We will have limitations of course. 3G will take awhile, and the size of screens isn’t going anywhere until we have the dream of projection into your eyes and such.

Would you bet against it?