Recently, BITE Interactive released the results of a survey that it commissioned from YouGov. The survey was conducted online and consisted of a sample of 1,127 American adults. YouGov is an international Internet- based market research firm founded in the UK in May 2000.

The survey shows that most people in the U.S. prefer to have native mobile apps over HTML5 standard- based apps. According the survey, 66 percent of iPhone (News – Alert) users and 63 percent of Android users say that it is important that the apps are native applications. They feel that the native apps will take advantage of their particular smartphone’s capabilities.

Only about 19 percent of those surveyed felt that it did not matter if the apps are native or HTML5-based. 69 percent of the people surveyed said that they only use maybe two to 10 apps on a regular basis. They use most of these apps only once a week and a few just a little more often.

Joseph Farrell, executive vice president of operations at Bite (News – Alert) Interactive, said, "Smartphone home screens across the country are littered with the tombstones of mediocre, try-once-and-forget apps. Brands and developers too often lose sight of the most important aspects of developing mobile applications: build in-brand, powerful and highly usable apps that continually deliver real value to your users by solving the problem they have asked you to solve. Delivering continued, iterative and brilliantly executed solutions to those evolving problems should always be the primary objective."

There is so much truth in this statement. A lot of people download a mobile app because it looks interesting, or because it has gotten a lot of hype. However, once they download it and use it once or twice, they find that it is not really helpful or all that useful. A lot of these apps will cost you anywhere from $25 up (some cost even more).

The research showed that about 19 percent of users will not switch operating systems once they have spent $25 on apps. It is almost like they are making an investment and then feel that they have to stay with it until they get their money’s worth.

Farrell said, "The app store has been a cornerstone of Apple and Android’s success, and their ability to engender loyalty among their user base. For Windows Phone (News – Alert) and BlackBerry the easier route to gaining market share is not on persuading Apple or Android owners to switch, but rather on capturing the next generation of feature phone owners looking to upgrade. Even then, both Windows and BlackBerry (News – Alert) must continue to build out their app store propositions, given that the quantity and quality of apps available is such an important factor in the smartphone purchase decision for every other American."