Regardless of whether or not HTML5 is going to "lag", I think this article white-washes the evolution of the web as an open platform vis-a-vis the desktop/OS. Open platforms and protocols are the result of hard work and people taking risks and building value, not a result of stability in the platform.
The Web and technologies have operated in a disruptive manner with respect to an established platform, and the mobile revolution was about the platform moving to serve modern, networked users. The is counter to silo'd interests attempt to constrain and integrate the web into proprietary formats and platforms (See: everything from active-X/flash to the current mobile platform wars).
You're absolutely right about open platforms and protocols being about lots of people taking risks and building hugely valuable things. My point was that when the core OS is innovating like mad, you need to be close to those OS's to build the best apps... The innovation on the desktop slowed to a crawl years ago, and the majority of innovation has moved to the browser and web-app layer. In mobile, however, there's a LOT of innovation still happening right at the OS level w/ Android and iOS, and so all the frameworks that exist above the native SDK's are going to lag, and not take best advantage of the innovations being released at the OS layer.
The speed of mobile OS innovation will invariably slow (like it did on the desktop), but until then, philosophy about open platforms aside, iOS and Android show no signs of being displaced as the real mobile OS / platform drivers... and so, native's going to lead HTML5 / other "open" platforms for a while.
The Web and technologies have operated in a disruptive manner with respect to an established platform, and the mobile revolution was about the platform moving to serve modern, networked users. The is counter to silo'd interests attempt to constrain and integrate the web into proprietary formats and platforms (See: everything from active-X/flash to the current mobile platform wars).