[untog]

At this point I really don't know what to reply- I really don't understand how on earth you'd read the comment I posted and interpret it as "Apple should scrap Mobile Webkit". You seem to have interpreted my comments to be the exact opposite of what I was actually saying. How does "I think Apple are holding back HTML5" (my original comment) end up meaning "I want Apple to remove HTML5 features from their phones"?

There is no reason why App Store apps could not be written with HTML5. It works offline. It has local storage. Apps written in such a way could work on iOS, Android, WM, WebOS... the whole lot. Yet they are not allowed in the App Store (or Android Market, etc. etc.)- this holds back HTML5. (and of course they would benefit from it- users go straight to the App Store to download apps. Offline web sites just don't have the same understanding)

I am not suggesting that the manufacturers throw out their existing native layers- there are times (3D games, etc) where they are entirely appropriate. But while they are the only option, developers are forced into walled gardens when writing apps. I can't work out how anyone would perceive that as a good thing.

[drivebyacct2]

I really don't mean to sound rude, but you're not reading what I'm writing and I'm honestly not sure that you understand HTML5 or the capabilities that current mobile devices have in the HTML5 front.

You can absolutely publish fully functional HTML5 apps right now and any user on any mobile platform can use them. Even more, you can make simple Web View wrapper and publish them to Market, App Store, etc. Surely, surely, you're not really sitting there saying they have to build some new manifest and packaging format to support web apps... in their NATIVE application store, right? The entire point of web apps is that you don't need the concept of an "app". The app is the webpage as it's displayed in the browser. If you want to avoid that perception issue, then use an embedded web view wrapper.

My point was that all of these functionalities and abilities are in existence RIGHT NOW in (at least) the WebKit browsers. You're acting like it's not possible now, or that it won't be in the future. My point was that your accusations imply that Apple/Google/etc will, at some point in the future, go back and remove the Location API or Local Storage APIs or future Device APIs from their browsers... (since that's the only way your accusations make any sense).

You continue to act like the native platform or native app store somehow impedes the ability to use the browser or web views, which is just either above my head or just plain wrong.

[untog]

"My point was that your accusations imply that Apple/Google/etc will, at some point in the future, go back and remove the Location API or Local Storage APIs or future Device APIs from their browsers..."

Throughout this entire discourse (and I'd challenge the claim that you've "tried to be nice", unless you just didn't try very hard) you've thrown out various accusations of what I think, then dismantled them- despite me having never suggesting anything of the sort in the first place.

Why on earth would I accuse Apple/Google of planning to remove HTML5 APIs? I genuinely have no idea why you are projecting these ideas. My point is that HTML5 could be a first-class citizen when it comes to app making. It is not. And the fault for that lies with the phone manufacturers. Therefore, in my mind, Apple does not have "massive support" for HTML5.

But hey, let's leave it here, while you're trying to be nice. I'm not sure I'm interested in finding out how condescending you'll be when you aren't.