Microsft pulls back webapps?

[techiez]

Microsoft pulls some Windows Phone web 'apps' following complaint | The Verge

It seems content owners raised objections to MS repackaging their mobile websites as apps, its unfortunate on their part, if they are not willing to bring their apps then at least let MS do this as stop gap. I hope MS secures their approvals soon and those webapps are back.

 

[JoelBennett]

Well, to be completely honest though: did bundling the mobile sites up as an app really offer any benefit (or drawbacks?) compared to just going to the mobile site to begin with?

 

[T Moore]

Same thing as starting IE, going to favorites, tap. The web app did it from a tile on the startscreen, one tap.
Three taps vs one tap.
Where have they been? It is a shortcut to their website and they get their panties in a wad.

 

[hopmedic]

Really, though, developers are not allowed to do this. I didn't look at MS' app, so I haven't seen what functionality it has, but if all it is is a wrapper around a mobile website, they violate their own app certification requirements, and if I did it, it would fail certification and not get published.

I can understand their reasoning behind it, but I disagree with the double standard.

 

[techiez]

Well, to be completely honest though: did bundling the mobile sites up as an app really offer any benefit (or drawbacks?) compared to just going to the mobile site to begin with?

No benefit but just tht you have the name appearing in marketplace, it would atleast somewhat help in tackling 'the app' problem of WP

 

[techiez]

Really, though, developers are not allowed to do this. I didn't look at MS' app, so I haven't seen what functionality it has, but if all it is is a wrapper around a mobile website, they violate their own app certification requirements, and if I did it, it would fail certification and not get published.

I can understand their reasoning behind it, but I disagree with the double standard.

Yeah completely agree

 

[nohra]

Same thing as starting IE, going to favorites, tap. The web app did it from a tile on the startscreen, one tap.
Three taps vs one tap.
Where have they been? It is a shortcut to their website and they get their panties in a wad.

When I want a quick link to a mobile site, I just zoom in on a logo or something on the site, do a "pin to start" and boom, a nice looking tile that links to the site.

I don't really see a huge benefit to the webapps besides them being available in the app list. The downside is that I feel it lets these other companies off the hook. Why should they bother making a WP app if Microsoft did it for them? I really don't know why they would have a problem with it if they're not willing to come to WP.