I like mobile. It could be because I'm physically attached to it all the time. Or maybe it's because it feels more personal since I can control everything with a touch of my own finger. It gives me reminders for important dates, helps me with direction, and comforts me with entertaining contents. It's my companion, helper and problem solver.

I've always enjoyed designing for mobile too. With my interest and experience combined, it was natural for me to be inclined towards mobile development. Here, I'm not just talking about mobile app development, but anything mobile, including PWA, responsive design and native features.

I want to research the current state of mobile development before diving any deeper into just one area, so that I can build an effective roadmap for myself to become a desirable mobile developer.

The following are the areas that I'd like to know more about:

• Current State of mobile: interesting facts about mobile presence
• Should I go into App development?
• Should I develop in Swift? Java? Kotlin? React Native or Flutter?
• What about the PWA?
• How about responsive design?

Current State of mobile: interesting facts

1. Desktop vs Mobile market share in the US as of June 2020

   • desktop: 49.18%
   • mobile: 46.26%
   • note: before coronavirus pandemic, mobile share was higher than desktop.

2. Share of Web Traffic by mobile OS as of Apr 2020

   • Android: 72.3%
   • iOS: 27%
3. Average time spent on mobile in the US as of 2019: 3 hours and 43 minutes [eMarketer]
4. Average conversion rate Desktop vs Mobile: 4.14% against 1.82% [statista]
5. Average conversion rate iOS vs Android as of Q2 2019: 2.11% against 1.81% [smartinsights]
6. Mobile apps convert at a 157% higher rate than the mobile web [button]
7. Some say the mobile app industry is dead.

Is it still worth getting into App Development?

Some say the mobile app industry is dead. Although app downloads have been stagnated, there's still an increase. It's mainly becuase the industry have matured and people have already dowanloaded apps they need. However, decline in app downloads doesn't mean decline in app usage. App usage has been increasing steadily, although the majority of it is coming from the big players like Facebook and WhatsApp.

I'm not here to create the next big app and make big money out of it. Yes, that era may be over. I want to be a part of a company whose business depends on an app or who cares about making a mobile presence, so for me, it makes sense to keep studying mobile app development. So the answer to the question is yes.

Swift? Java? React Native? Flutter?

With Android taking 72% of the market share, and being both Android and iOS user myself , I really want to test an app on both platforms at the same time. I'd like to get into the Swift or Java app development at some point, but I think it makes sense for me to start with either React Native or Flutter. So now the question is, React Native or Flutter? And the answer is both. I already started with React Native, only because I'm familiar with React. I did an Airbnb clone project with Expo and I was pretty happy with the process. Now I want to try the same project with Flutter and see for myself which one I should dive deeper with(07.21.2020). Even though I really want to try out Flutter and see for myself how it performs, I think for now, I should foucs on React Navtive until I get familiar with Javascript and React that's associated with it (07.27.2020).

Here's the link to a helpful article: Flutter vs React Native - what to choose in 2020?

What about Progressive Mobile Web App?

I'll cover this topic later. Meanwhile, here's a helpful article: Developing Mobile Web Applications: When, Why, and How

How about responsive web

I'll cover this topic later.