I wanted to make one other point about that article in Wired that inspired John Gruber’s web vs. native post. Let’s take another look at Marc Andreessen’s “thought exercise”:
Let’s say we all grew up in tech world where we only used tablets and smartphones. Then one day, someone comes up to you with a 27-inch display hooked up to a notebook. You could have everything you have on your tablets and smartphones, and then some. Except you don’t have to download anything or update it. Everything is the latest and greatest, and just one click away. If you are a software developer, there are no gatekeepers telling you if your latest creation is approved, or when you can add the latest flourish.
“We would be like, wow, that’s great,” Andreessen says from his office at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.
Thing is, we have that now. It’s called a Chromebook, and nobody’s using them.