iPhone vs Mobile Web
Recently a Forrester report was released stating that the iPhone "signals the beginning of the end for the mobile Web as we know it today". The report suggested that re-designing sites for the small screens of mobile phones would become "a thing of the past", because of the iPhone's advanced technology such as zooming.
Some people came to the opposite conclusion, including Dave Winer who said that the "iPhone view of the web is not optimal for the user." Dave noted that if he was given a choice between a site optimized for mobile use and "the extra work you have to do to zoom in and out and scroll in all directions to read a page laid out for a big screen on a tiny one", he'll go with the site designed for mobiles.
Forrester sent me a copy of the full report, which I'll try to summarize here.
Forrester: iPhone Has Better Usability and Content
In the report, Forrester analyst Vidya Lakshmipathy starts off by identifying three primary barriers to the mobile Web’s success: 1) poor usability; 2) hard-to-find content; and 3) costly access. Forrester's contention is that the iPhone knocks down the first two barriers, by "bringing full-featured Web sites to a device that can handle them".
Where Forrester's view seems to diverge from Dave Winer's (and others) is that Forrester sees the zooming, "finger taps and gestures", and scrolling as a perfectly usable way of surfing the Web on a mobile device. Dave Winer regards that as "extra work".
On the content front, Forrester says that "users can input the URL of any Web site (not just ‚Äúmobile‚Ä? sites) into an address bar similar to those found on the desktop Web browsers they use today." That's because the iPhone uses the Safari website and also there's a Google toolbar integrated.
Here's a good pictorial illustration from Forrester of the differences between a Mobile Web experience (left) and an iPhone one (right):
Source: Forrester
Conclusion
Forrester's report concludes that companies should get an iphone, to explore the usability and content factors. But Forrester has a bob each way, because they also urge companies to "keep experimenting" with the traditional Mobile Web. They note that mobile Web content should be "timely, location-aware, and actionable" - in other words it is different to Web content optimized for the PC.
Source: Forrester
So iPhone vs Mobile Web - which is the 'winner'? As with everything, it depends on the context. If a website is nicely optimized for Mobile devices, then it will generally mean less work for the user. So the Mobile Web wins there. But taking the long view, if web designers no longer have to create different types of sites for different devices - then that is optimal for them. You could also argue that over time, it is better for users to have a consistent Web browsing experience - which the iPhone attempts to give them by using a Safari web browser. Also the "no walled garden" factor is a huge plus for iPhone. So iPhone wins on those fronts.
All in all, the iPhone has more going for it than the Mobile Web - but I think both Forrester and Dave Winer would agree that the iPhone isn't quite a Mobile Web killer just yet. Not to mention that the iPhone is only a limited release currently (it's not available where I live).
For R/WW readers who have an iPhone, tell us in the comments whether you think its superior to traditional Mobile Web browsing.
Pic by jorgeq
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Is that a two year old Razr in the screenshot? Having a WAP site loaded? Ridiculous comparisson. Please stick to your usual uncritical Google stories instead.
After mashable lost it's place on my feedlist your blog is next. Not even worth the time to scroll past all this.
Far too early for that sort of a statement. By that rationale we should all have been watching betamax videos not VHS in the 90s. And using Apple computers. No need for designing websites for the troublesome IE browser.
Ignoring the majority in favour of the tec-savvy elite is insane. Unless, and until, everyone buys an iphone (or the equivalent) there will be a need for the mobile web. And you could argue that iphone sales to date do not point to a wholesale revolution, even if the technology does.
Sorry to have offended you emile. To be honest, I'm not sure why it did tho. But you can't please everyone...
Yeah, this is a pretty ridiculous comparison and doesn't really makes sense. The iPhone is one phone that might have one million in the market by the end of the year, out of more than a billion. It's impact on the mobile 'consumer' market will take years.
I think the iPhone is a great device. It is great that you can go to any site. With the zoom and tilt, you can consume any site, but you need to design for it specifically to have a truly good user experience, similar to designing for Wap.
Those are good points Brent.
The comparison btw makes sense because it's comparing two types of ways to browse the web on a mobile device. Not sure why that is "ridiculous". Am I missing something?
Both the iPhone and any S60* mobile (which also includes a webkit browser) do a great job at rendering desktop web pages but by not including the ability to switch between screen and handheld CSS as Opera does, users are unable to select between browsing and action-orientated web interfaces.
When I have time to kill, I will browse on my mobile, but if the success of the mobile web in Japan is anything to go by, most mobiles web usage is for specific action-orientated tasks.
I've had my iPhone for a little over a week and I actually take the view that it creates a third web, the iPhone web and will add another layer to companies/designers thinking about where to target. It can use the traditional mobile web, it can use the traditional pc web, but neither are as nice to use as an iPhone optimized site/application (Like Leaflets). The iPhone can do great things with existing content like RSS feeds, but I agree with Winer that panning and zooming gets old fast. But, using more traditional mobile apps feels so restricting. There's also the issue of using the standard pc web over EDGE. It's a little slow.
It's obviously from the point of mobile visualization iPhone has its advantages against Mobile Web. But nowadays Mobile Web industries also have great improved for their contents as well as visualization purposes in order to provide a page with full texts only. Oh don't forget that the more datas you receive from the more streaming time was needed and though more "$$" you need to pay!!
Iphone -- I Google are best in the market because - they have convenience and this convenience has come from innovation not from the copycat.
I'm amazed how the majority of you guys are so damn affected by the marketing machine of Apple. Anyone ever heard of Microsoft Mobile? Symbian? Anyone used ever a Sony Ericsson, Nokia, HTC smartphones? Have you ever used a Nokia or a Opera mobile browser? Comparing a WAP-based phone to a normal mobile browser is a evident sign either of prejudice or flagrant ignorance. I'm starting to figure out how much US are behind Europe in terms of mobile internet...
Well, Milko, I was very excited when I bought a Nokia E61 with Symbian OS this year. Now I am very disappointed, I actually hate my phone, this Symbian guys do not care at all about the user, they just put a lot of features together without thinking in usability...
How about the 3rd category of mobile web apps - iPhone optimized, mobile AJAX ready web applications. Forget about zooming, forget about web optimized for mobile phone. iPhone has created 3rd category of web aps, that use full blown mobile AJAX, are optimized for iPhone and very usable. try navigating your iPhone to booksoniphone.com for example.
How much did Apple pay Forrester for this report?
have you ever heard about company called Nokia? Have you ever seen model Nokia N95? Or any other Nseries model?
please, don't act like apple invented mobile web.
"Mobile Web killer"?
I've never heard anything so ridiculous.
The iPhone was built to be a mobile web *maker*. Are you saying Apple failed?
At a technical level, there is, these days, no difference between the "mobile web" and the "web". (X)HTML, CSS, AJAX etc etc.
The "mobile web" is special for no other reason than that HUMANS WANT TO DO DIFFERENT THINGS WHEN THEY ARE MOBILE.
No clever browser will ever turn a soft drink company's brochureware site into a vending machine locator.
It appears that there is now something new added to the mix "iphone optimized" sites.
The original use case for the mobile web was in fact as a way to view PUSHED content, while the web design philosophy is built on user initiated search, discovery and transactions. The numeric interface was seen as a compromise, but never one to be a deal breaker, certainly for "timely, actionable events".
Having tried every WAP browser from 1999, the iPhone absolutely changes the user behavior by reducing the friction of pushing buttons. So I would agree, that xHTML MP will not have a long life. The new Nokia browser and Opera mini come close, but pushing buttons is no match for touch.