Facebook says using HTML5 for mobiles was a mistake

Posted on Wednesday, September 12 2012 @ 12:54 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
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While Mozilla aims to make mobile app development more accessible by letting developers create HTML5 apps in the upcoming Firefox OS, Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg revealed last week that the social network's mobile strategy relied too much on HTML5, rather than native applications, and that this was the company's biggest mistake to date. The iOS app was switched to native two months ago, and now people are consuming twice as many feed stories as before. Additionally, Zuckerberg also confirmed that the Android version of the Facebook app will also receive a native makeover, which should make the app faster and more responsive.
Not only was this a big mistake with mobile, but Zuckerberg says that its biggest mistake period was the focus on HTML5. This is the first time that the Facebook CEO has openly admitted this, but things are looking good for the new iOS native app. According to Zuckerberg, people are consuming twice as many feed stories since the update to the new iOS app, which is great.

The first half year has been a little bit slow on product, but for the next six months I expect a lot of really cool stuff.

This “really cool stuff” will probably have monetization in mind, as it’s very clear that mobile is the path to ad revenue for the company.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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