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Progressive Web applications come true.
Although progressive Web applications, or PWAs, have been around for about three years – an initiative mostly driven by Google – they became a reality this week when Google released Chrome 70.
The new version of Google's web browser offers a complete list of new features. But the biggest news is the new support for PWA running Windows. (Mac and Linux media should appear in Chrome 72.)
Google and Microsoft compete on many fronts. But with regard to ACPs, companies are perfectly aligned. I will tell you why below, but let's start by clarifying what are the ACPs.
ACPs: easier for everyone
A PWA is a website that may look like an application or application installed on a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.
PWAs use background runtime scripts (JavaScript files) called service agents that cache assets and enable superior performance. Service agents allow the execution and access to offline storage. And they can display push notifications.
PWAs represent a minor benefit for users, but also for developers, brands and businesses.
Because PWAs rely on CSS3, JavaScript and other standard tools, they can easily be ported to other browsers and platforms.
PWAs also actually support or replace a mobile first design strategy, in which you can create the mobile PWA and make it available on all devices.
Because PWAs bypass application stores, they help solve the problem of application fatigue, where users refuse to crawl into an application store to find another application that does not work. they will try once and forget. When users visit your site, you can offer the PWA installation right away and launch it from this site every visit.
Most major retailers offer apps that enable loyalty and discount features, as well as a better shopping experience. But most of the customers of these retailers have no interest in downloading the applications. PWAs can run when they visit the store, offering additional features that work as ordinary applications.
Various test cases have proven that PWAs greatly enhance engagement, conversions, interactions, opening rates of push notifications and opt-in.
Pinterest has launched a PWA designed to replace service access through a regular browser experience. He noted huge benefits, including a 50% increase in clicks on advertising and a 40% increase in user spend spending more than five minutes on the site. The PWA outperformed not only the use of the mobile Web, but also that of mobile applications.
In addition, PWAs support all types of devices, including Chromebooks.
The former developer choice was to create separate applications for Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, but could not serve Chromebooks unless you created a sixth implementation with a Chrome extension.
The new choice is to create PWAs and serve all platforms, including Chromebooks, with a single implementation.
And this same work can facilitate access to AHP from smart TVs and other IoT devices.
PWAs feel like applications, but the search engine content is indexable and can be shared by the user.
ACPs are also relatively secure. During installation, they have no access to the system hardware. This access must be granted on a case by case basis – resource by resource – after explicit authorization granted by the user. Access to storage, location and Bluetooth requires three separate permissions. Users can say yes to Bluetooth, for example, but refuse requests for storage and location.
This is more or less the operation of mobile applications, but it is an improvement over the traditional operation of desktop applications.
The bottom line is that PWAs are finally transforming browsers into application platforms – real applications, not horrible web applications of yesterday.
Why is Microsoft comfortable with Google on PWA?
With Chrome 70, Windows 10 PWAs work like classic applications. This means that they support notifications, Live Tiles, and Cortana, and that they are accessible from the Chrome menu, the Start menu, or as an application pinned to the taskbar. And they are available in the Microsoft Store.
Until now, Google and Microsoft are totally sympatico with regards to PWA. The reason is that PWAs increase the number and range of applications available to Windows users.
But I think the main reason is that Microsoft hopes to re-enter the smartphone market with its Andromeda device. Instead of entering an unapplied market, it would rather enter a market with all PWAs.
Many of these apps will be created primarily as a replacement for Android apps. And so many applications once only available on Android devices and Pixelbook devices will now also be available on Windows Surface Phone devices, or any other Microsoft product calling Andromeda.
It's a win-win for Microsoft and Google. Microsoft receives tons of applications for its devices. Everyone is working on the Web with Google, which is in line with its current ChromeOS strategy and its future Fuschia strategy.
Progressive Web Applications Do Not Always Mean Progress
There are disadvantages.
The discovery for ACPs is decentralized. You can not just go to an application store and find what you are looking for when doing a search.
Google keeps a directory of PWAs. But to my knowledge, there is no single resource for all ACPs.
What we do not know is whether the industry can ensure that PWAs represent a single application platform or whether PWAs allow or generate fragmentation.
Microsoft and Google are already collaborating on PWAs and that's a good thing.
Apple, not so much. And although Apple is starting to support PWAs in Safari, it is not clear that the company is motivated to support common standards. And the features of Safari are missing. One thing that does not work for PWA on iOS is push web notifications, for example.
The raw performance of PWAs is generally lower than that of native applications.
Another disadvantage is that PVAs are very isolated. It is therefore difficult and improbable for the different PWAs to share resources or data directly.
So, the PVAs are not perfect.
I still think they are going to be huge.
PWAs are much more efficient for users and developers. They are much more flexible, multi-platform and space-saving than Web applications, websites, mobile applications or desktop applications.
Brands and organizations such as Starbucks, Twitter, Burger King, Home Depot and NASA are all switching to the PWA. Maybe your business should too.
Now that PWAs have arrived on Windows, it's time to take things seriously in your organization. Take inventory and analysis of all the applications in your business and determine which ones can be converted to PWA.
It's more work, but it will pay ten times more in the long run.
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