In information technology, mobile devices are unarguably the fastest growing enterprise platforms. This is because virtually all software developers are attempting to make every possible application compatible with portable devices like mobile phones, tablets, and even wearable devices. However, the success or failure of the mobile app development depends on the language selected.
The Importance of the Approach
There are two distinct approaches to mobile app development. In one, you have the browser as the destination and you do not have to write platform-specific applications. Of course, direct portability is a myth, but it can be achieved by developing different versions of the same app with a single language. The other option is to develop dedicated apps for each platform. Though more costly, it has the advantage of superior performance and the extra capability compared to a browser-based app. The choice of the language has a direct impact on the efficiency and performance. Some top choices:
HTML5
HTML5 is fast emerging as a standard for web-fronted mobile apps because of its ability to simplify insertion of various data types, rationalize parameters of inputs, and level the playing field of browsers, account for screen size differences, and more. The prime concern is that HTML5 standards are still evolving, and you can expect some amount of dynamism in the language and browser behavior. However, the learning curve is substantially shallower thanks to the existing version of HTML.
Java
Java, developed originally by Sun Microsystems and now owned by Oracle, is an object-oriented programming language that is one of the most popular, so there is no dearth of skills. Being a compiled language, it can run on a browser as well as in a virtual machine environment without a browser. This flexibility is extremely advantageous as far as reusability of code and software updating is concerned. While Java is the preferred choice for Android developers, iOS app development companies in Mumbai tend to favor Objective-C, though as far as cross-platform performance is concerned; it remains a very strong contender.
C++
A really versatile language for app development on the Android and Windows operating systems, C++ has been around for a very long time and used to develop apps for virtually every imaginable purpose on every existing platform. A familiar language for almost all developers, programming skills are easily available and is a very valid choice for low-level programming for apps that do not need fancy bells and whistles. However, Objective-C, a superset of the C-language, has been favored by Apple, though that now looks to change with the adoption of Swift.
Conclusion
There can never be a unanimous agreement regarding the best language for mobile app development. It depends on the path you chose, the extent of rich media involved, the extent of future-proofing desired, the depth of experience of your development team, and of course, the budget that you can allocate to the exercise.
Author bio: Andrew Thompson is a senior member of the app development team of one of the top iOS app development companies in Mumbai. He likes to share tips and news about mobile app development on his blog.