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Alexandre C.
Alexandre C.

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WHY I BELIEVE IN CROSS-PLATFORM TECHNOLOGIES

In 2023, we really have a choice to develop a mobile application (web is even worse, I don't know how they manage to decide 😄). Without getting into the eternal native vs. cross-platform debate, I will explain here why I believe that choosing a cross-platform technology like Flutter or React Native is truly relevant for starting a mobile application project in 2023:

  • Get 2 applications for once: you get a REAL mobile application for both iOS and Android at the same time. And it comes with all the other bonuses! Maintaining a single codebase, recruiting/managing a single mobile development team instead of separately for iOS and Android.

  • Meet functional and business needs: when you take a step back, you'll notice that the vast majority of mobile applications boil down to displaying UI, dynamic lists of content, search journeys, detail pages, features like user authentication, saving favorites, notifications, API calls and database for displaying or updating content, etc... Nothing that cross-platform technologies cannot do in 2023.

  • Get good quality and performance: I know, it's a big topic, especially if developers are reading this. But in reality, cross-platform mobile applications are as performant and high-quality as native applications today; many expert studies show this. Take your phone, download Facebook, Tesla, Discord, BMW, Sncf Connect applications (all cross-platform) and tell me if as a user, you see a real shocking difference in terms of fluidity, UI and user experience.

  • Manage cost: it's not news that the tech industry is struggling right now, with all the layoffs, especially in the USA. Huge blind investments are rare and the big growth of tech companies has slowed down. The industry is currently in a period of cost reduction, and it impacts everyone, including projects. In my opinion, cross-platform has its best card to play right now.

  • Target several devices: few companies want just a mobile application. Often they also want a website or web application. People buy more phones or tablets than PCs. New devices are selling more and more (smart watches, VR headsets, embedded dashboards in cars...). So many platforms for which companies would want to offer an application to their users. Again, cross-platform technologies have already anticipated this evolution and are doing well.

The list is not exhaustive, there are other benefits. In 2023, I think we need to dare changing our approach and questioning some status quos. And above all, try to look ahead and anticipate the future by making appropriate choices.

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