&gt; It will come from something unexpected that solves a different problem, but in a much simpler and more elegant way, and over time it will be the thin edge of the wedge where it evolves and develops into a web killer.<p>So.. app stores?<p>It has already begun. The most popular webapps (Facebook, Twitter etc.) already have native clients in Android and iOS. I believe the majority of people already prefer and use the native FB&#x2F;Twitter apps more often than accessing the FB&#x2F;Twitter websites. So it&#x27;s already obvious that native apps must be more convenient.<p>Right now however, app stores are a little clumsier to navigate compared to browsers.<p>For webapps:<p>• you have to open the browser,<p>• type in the address OR<p>• use a web search if you don&#x27;t know the exact address.<p>But for apps:<p>• you have to open the app store,<p>• search for the app,<p>• potentially filter through unofficial third-party software,<p>• download the app, possibly after entering your credentials,<p>• navigate to the app icon,<p>• authorize any security permissions on startup (in the case of Android or badly-designed iOS apps.)<p>We just need the Big Three (Apple&#x2F;Google&#x2F;Microsoft) to actively acknowledge that app stores <i>can</i> supplant the-web-as-application-platform, and remove some of those hurdles.<p>Ideally an app store would be akin to searching for a website on Google.com (or duckduckgo.com) with a maximum of one extra click or tap between you and the app.<p>Apps should also be incrementally downloadable so they&#x27;re immediately available for use just like a website, and Apple already has begun taking steps toward that with App Thinning.<p>Ultimately there&#x27;s no reason why the OS and native apps shouldn&#x27;t behave just like a web browser, because if web browsers keep advancing and evolving they WILL eventually <i>become</i> the OS, and the end result will be the same to what I&#x27;m suggesting anyway.<p>Currently though, both the native OS side and the web side exist in a state of neither-here-nor-there, considering how most people actually use their devices.