But Mozilla's Jay Sullivan thinks more powerful browsers will spark more web app development.
Mozilla's VP of mobile Jay Sullivan thinks Firefox Mobile and other mobile browsers will lead to a surge in web app development, contrasting with the current boom in downloadable native apps.
"It's not really the web versus the app store... We're not under any illusions about the Web taking over next week," he tells ME.
"But in time I think we'll get an 80/20 rule and see things play out like they have on the desktop. There, 80% of the things you want to do are in the browser, but a few years ago you used native apps for almost everything. But the change took time."
Mozilla will soon release Firefox Mobile for Nokia's N900 handset, with Android and Windows Mobile versions to follow next year.
He agrees that native apps currently appeal to developers as they can make more use of native APIs like location, cameras and accelerometers, but suggests that as those features are added to mobile browsers, the openness of the mobile web will appeal to developers.
"If they can write these things in HTML and JavaScript, and the distribution mechanism is the URL, they're back in control," he says.
For the full Mozilla interview, click here.
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