End of the Web?

The cover of this month’s issue of Wired magazine declares that “The Web is Dead.” The gist of the article is that  a web browser is no longer needed to access many online services. With the rise of smartphones and wireless devices like the iPad, apps–small, downloadable software programs designed for a specific task–are making the Web increasingly irrelevant, at least for content.

App stores stock hundreds of thousands of these handy programs that customize your smartphone to do virtually anything. Need to make a video call? Use a Skype app. Ready to read the latest bestseller? Launch your Kindle app. With apps, there’s no need to access a website, although data still travels over the Internet.  Apps make your online experience richer because they’re not limited to the capabilities of your web browser.

What’s the downside? Many apps cost money, albeit just a few dollars, and there may also be a charge to access premium content, unlike on the Web, where almost all content is free. And that’s what’s driving the app revolution. The “free” model just don’t work for most content providers. Online advertising doesn’t generate enough revenue, so they’re looking for ways to offer paid, premium content via apps.

Will the the World Wide Web disappear? With an estimated 96 million active websites, it’s too soon to write off the Web, now just 18 years old and entering adulthood. Beyond the delivery of content, the Web is a global marketplace for products and services.. It has also become a personal publishing medium, allowing millions of people to express themselves. But the idea of the desktop being replaced by the webtop–all content and services accessed via a web browser–is certainly dead.

Although many of us now use text messaging–1.5 trillion were sent last year– e-mail remains alive and well; 90 trillion zipped crossed the Net in 2009. Apps and the Web will share the same fate, living together in peaceful and parallel coexistence.