Is the web browser really dying?

There has been a lot of buzz in the blogosphere in the past couple of days in response to a provocative article written by Chris Anderson in this month's edition of WIRED magazine. Chris argues that we are using the web browser a lot less in favor of apps on devices like smartphones and tablets and that this will eventually lead to the death of the web browser. The arguments are provocative and the data used is far from perfect. However, you know that you have read a good article when it is on your mind for three days. The article really got me thinking about the future of the internet and the way the "app trend" is one that is somewhat strange as apps often give users a low level experience with less functionality. As the web has grown and people have adjusted it might be that we have reached a status quo where we have lost interest in exploring the entirety of the internet and instead we just want our favorite services delivered fast and simple. The increased introduction of tablets will surely continue to fuel this trend and the user experience will be taken to a whole new level.

I have noticed this myself since I hardly ever open my laptop on weekends. It is big and clunky and takes 30 seconds to load and in a world where we are increasingly impatient in relation to technology that is inconvenient compared to the speed of accessing apps on a smartphone or a tablet. I check my email, read my RSS feed, check my Facebook, Tweet and even watch live football games through apps on my smartphone. There is simply no doubt that since I got my smartphone I have used the web browser considerably less. When I talk to my friends who have Ipads they simply don't use their laptops anymore when they step out of the office. This is of course great news to Steve Jobs and Apple as their undisputed role as technological trendsetters continue to shape the way we use technology.

The most interesting thing about internet usage moving from the web browser to apps is that it provides a lot of opportunities for companies seeking to become the next big thing and it looks like Facebook are mounting a real challenge to knock Google of their throne. With its 500 million members Facebook recently became the most visited website ahead of Google in the US and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is attempting to replace Google's search with Facebook's content sharing model. The idea is that we will prefer content recommendations from friends on Facebook rather than the anonymous search results that Google provides us with. The fact that many of us use apps instead of a web browser is another threat to Google's business model as these apps do not rely on HTML to display content, which means that the content cannot be crawled. Another problem for Google is that Facebook doesn't permit Google's bot to index any content on its site and as more people produce content on the Facebook platform, this problem might grow bigger. On the other hand Facebook are far away from finding a revenue model that is as effective as Google's, and at the end of the day business is primarily about generating money. Google's android platform will also be of strategic importance in the mobile and tablet space and if its popularity continues to grow Google will be in a very strong position for the future.

It will also be interesting to see what this means for computer hardware manufacturers and the media industry as they will be forced to replace their cash cow products and seek new revenue sources.

Even if this "app trend" turns out to be another fad we can be sure that, as the internet continues to evolve there will be many changes that shake up the status quo now and then. I have a strong feeling that a big change is just around the corner, and I think it has the potential to write a new chapter in the history of the internet.

Facebook’s ‘Rage against' X-Factor chart monopoly

As an advocate of new technology, I find myself regularly having to justify and explain the point of social networking. We regularly hear the likes of Facebook described as futile, temporary fads that take online procrastination to a whole new level.

Yet there are examples all the time that challenge this rather cynically view. The campaign that saw US band Rage Against The Machine topple the X-Factor’s monopoly of Christmas number ones is a beautiful, expletive ridden, case in point. In a few weeks, with nothing but a laptop and a broadband connection, couple Jon and Tracy Morter caused one of the biggest chart upsets of all time.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself!” I hear you say. I won’t pretend that this particular story isn’t anything more than some rather hairy young people getting one over on a middle aged music tycoon. But apply the same scenario to something much more important, and the connotations cannot fail to excite. What could the same principles of social networking do for democracy in a suppressed nation, or for the voice of the minority in any society? The fallout from this year’s election in Iran showed a more powerful example of social networking challenging the status quo.

Simon Cowell will, I’m sure, get over this rather embarrassing incident. Rage fans will continue shouting, and homeless charity Shelter will raise a few extra smiles this Christmas. However, the internet will stay and continue to force us to think about the way we live. It will continue to give users the ability to shape the news and media they consume, to express the views they hold and to adapt their communication techniques as they see fit.

Internet users can say, if they are so inclined, “F*** Y**, I won't do what you tell me!” Which is, my lawyers have asked me to say, a Rage Against the Machine lyric!