1996: Let's be honest: right now, most Java applets are a joke when compared to their native counterparts.
That's still true, and it's a better analogy. HTML5 in 2010 and Java applets in 1996 both promised portability at the cost of a nonstandard UI.
For HTML5 to become prominent, it needs to offer something to users that iPhone apps don't. Users don't care about portability or ease of multiplatform development.
HTML is the UI, and it's hardly "non-standard". If anything, HTML is the most widely used interface style in the world.
I do agree that HTML 5 apps should not be trying to emulate native desktop or mobile apps. Instead, they should be what they really are: native browser apps.
<...Users don't care about portability or ease of multiplatform development.
CONSUMERS dont care about this - enterprise and medical applications should.
When you access an app/session from one device and seamlessly transition to another device and the same session, then the beauty of such a system will have impact on efficacy of certain tasks.
The consumer use of the iphone and android mobile devices will be strong and lasting - but to make significant impacts on how things are done in other verticals will not only be important - but also highly profitable for some.
That's still true, and it's a better analogy. HTML5 in 2010 and Java applets in 1996 both promised portability at the cost of a nonstandard UI.
For HTML5 to become prominent, it needs to offer something to users that iPhone apps don't. Users don't care about portability or ease of multiplatform development.