Is Apple hampering web app performance on iOS?

The rise of web apps is something many platform holders who are operating closed systems won't want to consider.

As well as bypassing app stores and their revenue splits web apps are platform agnostic, able to run on multiple browsers and link players accordingly.

So, allegations that web apps installed on either iPhone or iPad's home screen, if on iOS 4.3, run two and a half times slower than if run direct from within Safari are serious, if only because it raises the question of whether it's intentional or not.

Performance problems

According to The Register, multiple developers have tested the performance of web apps out on iOS, concluding that the platform undoubtedly hampers how they run.

Though it can't be determined whether such a slowdown is as a result of bugs, or something all the more incriminating, the bottom line is a performance drop on one of the world's most popular smartphone platforms is not good news for developers who favour web apps.

"Apple is basically using subtle defects to make web apps appear to be low quality even when they claim HTML5 is a fully supported platform," one unnamed developer told the site.

Script issues

"Essentially, there are two different JavaScript engines," added developer, blogger and web-standard-based apps advocate Alex Kessinger.

"They're not using the new JavaScript engine with applications that launch from the home screen.

"Some people like to think of it as a conspiracy theory, but it could be a bug. If it is conspiracy, it makes a lot of sense for Apple. If you 'disallow' home screen web apps, you prevent people, in a way, from bypassing the App Store."

While Apple refuses to officially comment, other complaints also include the inability for web apps on iOS to use web caching systems so they can run offline, and a rendering set up that means they look unnaturally inferior to native apps.

[source: The Register]