Why apps are not web pages

Apps are not web pages. They are constructed differently, they perform differently (although some web pages made for smart phones are quite close to apps in behavior), and I believe that we perceive them differently.

Apps (especially when used on cell phones) are more intimate than web pages. Web pages live in a browser, which in turn lives in a PC or laptop. Apps live in our phones. Apps are closer to us.

Perhaps this is because we hold the cell phone in our hand (tablets too) but PCs we leave on the desk. Laptops are not as intimate as tablets, since we rarely hold laptops -- I put mine on a convenient desk or shelf, or maybe the floor.

The intimacy affects our expectations of apps. When I use an app, I expect two things: content tailored for me, and frequent changes to that content. I don't expect it of web pages. (Some pages, if I log in to a web site. But not all web sites.)

Facebook is a good example: it shows me "feeds" from my friends. This information is tailored for me (it's from the people I pick as friends) and the information changes daily (more than daily, actually).

But it's not just Facebook.

Yahoo Mail: Information that people have sent to me, or e-mail from lists to which I have subscribed.

Maps: Tailored for me, since it shows the local area. I can shift to a different area, if I choose.

Twitter: Close to Facebook in that it is tweets from people I choose to follow, with changes every hour.

The New York Times: Not tailored for me (the news is the same for everyone) but it changes daily and I pick the sections to display.

These web sites are "naturals" for conversion to apps. (And, in fact, they have been converted to apps.)

But some web sites will never "fly" as apps. These are the web sites that are generic (not personalized) and static (infrequent changes). These are sites that one visits rarely, and expects no personalized content. Sites such as "brochureware" for hotels and resorts, shopping sites, and even Wikipedia. (Wikipedia has an excellent web site for cell phones, but I don't see a need for an app.)

If I am right, then the great shift from the web to app will leave a large number of web sites behind. Even if their owners convert web site into an app, few people will download the app and fewer will use it.

If the personalizable web sites are "raptured" into apps, then what happens to the "left behind"? I see a need for the static, generic web sites -- smaller than the need for an app, but a need nonetheless -- and that need must be met. Will we keep the browser in our cell phones and tablets? Or will we build a new form to distribute static and non-personalized content?