第11章Webアプリケーション開発

Given that many web and native application frameworks are available today, is there a process that facilitates the selection of these frameworks?

Native mobile applications are designed to run on specific mobile operating systems (i.e., Android, iOS). Android and iOS operating systems dominate the mobile device market. In 2023, Android had approximately 70% of the worldwide market share, with iOS at around 29%. Samsung, KaiOS, Windows, Linux, and others make up the remaining 1% of the market.²

However, in the United States in 2023, iOS was the predominant OS with roughly 61% of the market and Android at 38%. Here, we’ll look at the specifics of native mobile app development by focusing on Android and iOS.³

Native application development takes advantage of the specific features available on mobile devices. The creators of the Android operating system (OS) originally designed it as an OS for digital cameras; however, they soon pivoted and changed it to be an OS for smartphones. Today, the Android OS runs on most mobile devices worldwide. It can be found on the Google Pixel, Samsung, OnePlus, and other phones.

Developers for Android mobile apps have a rich ecosystem composed of development tools, programming languages, training, and services. The primary developmental tools are:

• Android Studio is the official IDE for Android development, built off JetBrains’ IntelliJ IDEA software.

• Jetpack Compose is a toolkit for building native user interfaces (UI).

• Firebase is an app development platform and a collection of services for authenticating users, integrating ads, running A/B tests, and more. Firebase includes an A/B testing tool that helps test changes to web apps to see how changes impact key metrics such as revenue and customer retention. Developers will likely write software in Java, Kotlin, or C++. Java was historically the primary language for Android development. It runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which allows for creating platform-independent software. Kotlin is the preferred Android development language. It runs on the JVM but also runs on the Android Native Development Kit (NDK), which is used for performance-critical parts of applications. The NDK performs better than the JVM, and it provides direct access to physical device components (e.g., sensors and touch screen). C and C++ code can also run on the NDK.

Applications developed for Android are distributed through App Stores. Google Play is the principal app store, but others include Amazon Appstore, HUAWEI AppGallery, and Samsung Galaxy Store.

To explore Android app development further, Google offers free training. You can get started by creating your first “Hello World” (https://openstax.org/r/76AndroidDev) Android program.

2 Statcounter Global Stats, “Mobile Operating System Market Share Worldwide, Dec 2022–Dec 2023,” January 2, 2024. https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/worldwide/2023 3 Statcounter Global Stats, “Mobile Operating System Market Share United States Of America, Dec 2022–Dec 2023,” January 2, 2024. https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/united-states-of-america/2023

Apple’s iPhone was released in 2007 and quickly dominated the mobile phone market in the United States due to its simple, intuitive touch screen interface based on the success of its music player, the iPod, contributed to its popularity. The iOS operating system runs Apple’s device ecosystem, which includes iPhones, Apple TVs, Apple Watches, and more.

Xcode is the primary IDE used for all Apple device development. Developers will code in Objective-C or Swift. Objective-C was the primary development language for iOS; however, it was challenging to learn. In 2014, Apple released the Swift programming language specifically designed for iOS development. It offers high-order language features, making it easier to develop software and built-in memory management, which makes less prone to crash.

Native application frameworks are important in every industry today. For example, mobile health applications have become quite popular. Smartwatches can collect health-related data using various sensors and mobile health applications can leverage that data to provide useful reports to users as they exercise. Using a native application framework provides quicker load times, smooth animations and transitions, optimal security, and a seamless user experience, to make it easier to immediately track and access health-care data.

Drawbacks to using native application framework include a longer development process, increased cost, complex maintenance and updates, platform dependency, regulatory and compliance issues, and end-user barriers.