Native Apps vs Web Apps

An interesting question at the moment is, should I build native iOS & Android apps, or build one webapp to rule them all? There are pros and cons to each. Most of the arguments are obvious and well-trodden, but here's one point that's important and not being said: Google.

Google have put their stake in the ground and are investing heavily in the webapp route. Their Gmail & Google+ clients are are easily the most advanced mobile webapps in the game. And do you know what? They're still a bit rubbish. They're a bit slow. They're a bit flakey. They all have the, "This looked really good in the lab", feel to them.

Google's webapps are "impressive, for a webapp", which is like saying, "he's cool, for a geek". A qualified compliment isn't much of a compliment at all. I really want them to succeed, and they're doing an amazing job, but for all their effort I still go to the app store to find the real app.

If Google, with all their talent and resources, can push the possibilities of webapps and we still need to offer excuses, maybe that says it's not the way to go...