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I am quite confused with the info I read online.

Some say for IOS apps,

Apple restricts developers to writing iPhone applications in Objective-C, C, C++ or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine.

Apps must be originally written in one of these languages and may only use Documented APIs in a manner prescribed by Apple. Only code written in Objective C, C, or C++ may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs.

while Android apps use Java.

Then I also came across jquery mobile for cross platforms. So I am not sure which route I should take for developing an app. I prefer jquery mobile of course as I think it is not ideal to use two different languages to develop an app. And it takes time to learn Java and Objective-C.

So I want to know - can I just use jquery mobile to develop an app for IOS or Android?

Below is tutorial on developing an app by using jquery mobile, http://www.noupe.com/tutorial/jquery-mobile-tutorial-creating-a-restaurant-picker-web-app.html

Run
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  • That tutorial is for creating a web app, which your users would open in one of the browsers on the device. You could also use something like Apache Cordova (http://cordova.apache.org/), which was formerly called PhoneGap, to embed the very same HTML5/CSS/JS (with jQuery Mobile, of course) codebase into native app wrappers for different devices. The only downside is, Cordova does not let you do all the things you could do natively. – Hari Pachuveetil Feb 02 '13 at 17:26
  • thank you for your reply. what is the different between an app and a web app? – Run Feb 02 '13 at 17:29
  • got the answer. http://www.wired.com/insights/2012/11/native-apps-vs-mobile-web/ – Run Feb 02 '13 at 17:36

2 Answers2

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Take a look at my other answers related to this theme:

  1. Hybrid apps vs Native apps: Hybrid vs native apps/

  2. Mobile App vs Web App - Apple no longer accepting web apps?: https://stackoverflow.com/a/14436328/1848600

  3. Tutorials: https://stackoverflow.com/a/14375842/1848600

To make a story short. Hybrid apps are still more then acceptable in Apple app store, you just need to accept some guidelines like:

  • App must have native look and feel
  • Do not use 3rd party payment systems
  • Do not use server side technology to render page content, use ajax instead
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Gajotres
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There are a range of variables that you should consider before deciding which way to go, as the more you understand your business strategy and IT drivers, the better you will be able to decide which way to go. Like

  • Performance
  • Usability
  • Maintainability
  • Budget
  • Time to Market
  • Resources

Even though the big corporates like LinkedIn and Facebook are ditching Hybrid, they actually are not [Another debate not related to this question]. Moreover, a lot of small and mid size companies go their own short and long term plans, spanning Hybrid and Native.

Like people will say that if you have small budget then go for Hybrid as you will be able to launch in multiple platforms, but on the other hand you have to think about the long term cost and many other parameters above.

The best Article that lays out, is following, really thought provoking https://pixyflux.wordpress.com/2015/09/03/how-much-native-binary-vs-spectrum/

PixyMama
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