I don't agree with the premise in the article that we are at a point were "4G everywhere" means you don't have to think about offline use. We don't have reliable 4G or even 3G everywhere.
Service workers etc add a lot of features to the web platform in this regard, but it doesn't seem fully solved yet.
How can I, as a user, ensure apps I use in the browser are available? If I want to use an app, I'd hate if the browser had cleared it (or worse, content edited offline that hasn't synced yet) from its caches since it decided it needed space. I haven't seen a clear way to "pin" an app's data in a browser UI yet.
(Of course there are tons of native apps that don't work offline as well, but I believe I can more reliably test that.)
We have reliable 4G in every big city in Romania. I live in Bucharest and have 7 GB of included 4G bandwidth, along with unlimited calls, SMS and included minutes and bandwidth in roaming, for only 18 EUR per month. And if you're willing to hunt for time-limited PrePay offers, there are offers right now for 10 GB of bandwidth for 6 EUR per month or something. And yes, it works very well - it actually works better than the broadband you can find in other countries.
Of course, out of the European countries, our Internet is in the Top 5 at least, if not dare I say it, the best I've seen.
So don't make the mistake to think that progress ends at the borders of San Francisco ;-)
I think 4G in Europe is generally pretty good, in the UK I'm getting 20GB 4G data, unlimited calls and texts for £20. However, on some networks 4G data can be pretty intermittant so you might not always be getting 4G :(
No, not in Germany, at least where I travel in Essen / Düsseldorf. There it sucks!
There's no 4G to speak of, you count yourself lucky to get 3G. And it's not just mobile, the Internet you get in hotels is so piss poor it's infuriating.
Berlin here. A lot of the suburbs and villages just an hour north in Brandenburg don't even have 3g, forget 4g. And we're not just talking spotty coverage, there's just nothing, you'd be lucky to check your email.
French here, living in Dijon, a regional major city, 2 hours from Paris. I live in city center, and I still only listen to downloaded content in my spotify app, because if I listen to it online while on the move, there's always a point when it will lag or just stop.
Providers tell the whole city is covered by 4g. In reality, as soon as you move, sometime you'll have it, sometime you won't. Friends report the same thing in other cities with other providers.
Really no; connectivity is horrible in many places throughout the world. You don't have to venture far from most cities to experience bad or dropped connections. All over the planet. Exactly why I always fall back to apps which are written with bad connectivity in mind. Forget the web there for now; it's horrible in those locations.
I'm not talking about the Appalachian coal hills here, I'm talking 20 minutes out of a metro area. I live in a decently sized city and I'm lucky if I have three bars.
Service workers etc add a lot of features to the web platform in this regard, but it doesn't seem fully solved yet.
How can I, as a user, ensure apps I use in the browser are available? If I want to use an app, I'd hate if the browser had cleared it (or worse, content edited offline that hasn't synced yet) from its caches since it decided it needed space. I haven't seen a clear way to "pin" an app's data in a browser UI yet.
(Of course there are tons of native apps that don't work offline as well, but I believe I can more reliably test that.)