The thing is, browsers and mobile CSS are both getting better all the time. Designers, too, are getting more experience with designing for mobile devices.

Remember the days of “best viewed with (browser)” sites? That’s sort of where we are with the mobile web. At the moment. But we won’t be there for long. Please watch this space (same bat time, same bat channel) for another bit of information coming soon about why sanity and budgets will dictate the use of mobile “all OSes” sites instead of dedicated apps. 

Secondly, the article quotes IDC market share numbers between iOS and Android to make the case that WTSP and others made a mistake in targeting iOS in addition to building a dedicated app. But the writer also conveniently leaves out statistics which say that even with the difference in “activation” share, that iOS leads in mobile browsing usage by a factor of 4:1 even with the imbalance the other way in activation share. Further the writer also leaves out the fact that user engagement is typically much higher in a dedicated native app than in a mobile site, in part because of finer control of the environment and the ability to leverage the native capabilities of the devices themselves in the interaction.

But despite the inaccuracies in the article, there are companies who would be better served with a mobile website than incurring the expense of a native app (whether iOS or Android). But it’s decision that must be made thoughtfully, without bias and based on the objectives you want to achieve. This is not a religious battle, nor is it one where you should look only for the lowest cost solution.