Apple Thoughts: New HTML5 YouTube, Better Than the Old YouTube

"If you've got a phone with an HTML5 compliant browser, you'll probably want to check out YouTube's new mobile site, which is rolling out over the next few hours at m.youtube.com."

The premise that HTML5 will provide better (and faster) video viewing is now ready to be put to the test. The new mobile YouTube site ( link ) supports nearly all HTML5-compliant browsers on both the iPhone and Android platforms. Rather than relying on a native app, the new version is web-based, in line with Google's movements away from native apps and into the cloud. In addition, the new system uses a video streaming format developed for 3G, so content is delivered faster, and looks better. It also has better searching, with auto-complete, and a new and improved User Interface (UI) more in line with YouTube today. As more content is available via the mobile web application, one would logically expect a migration away from the less-featured, slower native app. But, with over 100 million mobile views per day, users of native apps on iPhones and iPods will not migrate without a compelling reason. Again the end user benefits from new technology. Videos on the iPhone 4 are great in the native app, and even better from the mobile YouTube site.