Most notably, Facebook's HTML5 app platform for iOS has come to the fore, meaning MobiUs appMobi's app-equipped mobile browser launches into a market more acclimatised with HTML5 powered apps.
MobiUs's advantage, however, is that it claims to enable web based apps to take charge of platform features usually restricted to native apps, blurring the boundaries between the two forms.
Up the APIs
"MobiUs is huge, with the power to disrupt everything you know about mobile apps, where you get them and how developers and publishers benefit from them," said CTO Sam Abadir.
"What has been particularly exciting for us is the early interest in MobiUs from some of our game developer customers.
Game developers always push technology to the absolute edge of its limitations in order to make entertaining, thrilling and compelling games, and they are finding the combination of MobiUs and appMobis GameDev XDK give them performance up to and even beyond the speed and capabilities of Adobe Flash."
Utilising both its own APIs and those from PhoneGap, web apps running on the MobiUs browser can tap into iPhone's accelerometer, GPS, camera and gravity sensor, amongst other features.
Apps can also be tooled to run offline, loading instantly when stored on appMobi even if without internet connectivity.
Breaking down barriers
Perhaps the biggest advantage appMobi has for developers, however, is the fact it enables them to target their apps at consumers without having to abide by the rules and regulations of the App Store.
It's a factor that will likely prick ears at Apple, but Abadir believes there's room for "walled garden" marketplaces to be challenged.
"There are many good reasons why app publishers might still want to use the walled garden app stores, but for the first time, MobiUs gives them a real choice between distributing by app store or the open web," he added.
"The appMobi platform and MobiUs allow any HTML5 developer to create and market mobile apps on the open Web that are indistinguishable from native apps in performance and functionality. MobiUs truly empowers Web apps and opens up the entire World Wide Web as the new app store."
More details on MobiUs which is due to launch on Android in Q1 2012 - can be found on appMobi's website.
