Yeah, but with a mobile app you have all those downsides...and you have to deal with the whims of a walled-garden gatekeeper like Google or Apple.
That is, I can't just create an app and throw it up on a server like I can with a website. It needs to be "approved" first. That's a HUGE barrier to openness that the web never had, and hopefully never will have in the future.
And, even though mobile apps run natively, I don't think one can be very confident that they're any more private than a typical website...analytics & the drive for data is there regardless of medium.
Not to nitpick, but people create native apps all the time and throw them up on servers for download and installation. In fact I have a handful on my phone right now. It's one of the main reasons I've gravitated toward Android on mobile and away from the more mixed iOS/Android devices I used to buy. My first smartphones running PalmOS and Windows Mobile allowed me to download and install apps from trusted developers and I disliked the dodgy hurdles I had to jump in order to do the same on iOS.
I agree completely about the privacy thing though. I guess it's a bit easier to see when a native app is sending data over the network with the right tools but in general, there's just as much room for abuse with either model.
That is, I can't just create an app and throw it up on a server like I can with a website. It needs to be "approved" first. That's a HUGE barrier to openness that the web never had, and hopefully never will have in the future.
And, even though mobile apps run natively, I don't think one can be very confident that they're any more private than a typical website...analytics & the drive for data is there regardless of medium.