I think it goes further than that:
- Electron apps feel alien on any platform. Even when you add a custom UI on top (“branding”), I don’t think it adds up. Much of the functionality of TR is very hard to use on my iOS devices, because none of the usual, platform-standard ways to interact with screens work. The Mac app is even worse, last time I checked, it doesn’t even put the menus in the menu bar.
- Personally, I don’t think I know of a single great or even good Electron or webview app. If you know of one, please let me know, but I don’t.
- Going cross-platform hampers the adoption of platform-specific features. Examples are Health integration on iOS and the lack of an Apple Watch and Apple TV app. I’d really like to be able to use an Apple Watch to transmit heart rate and be able to pause and resume a workout.
- Most apps + service offerings (think Netflix, Youtube, Spotify, Apple Music and TrainerRoad) seem to put more effort into the backend than their “player”. Netflix doesn’t retain customers with their app, and it shows. Once the Netflix app gets booted out of memory, I cannot resume my last show directly after relaunching the app. (I know that this might be intentional, but then I’d say this is even worse.) TR likewise focusses a lot on things like AT, and I don’t disagree. But the app, which is the interface, languishes a little.
- Inefficiencies matter. Yes, computers get faster and faster. But when I run e. g. Zoom on my 16” MacBook Pro, the fans spool up (which is audible) and battery life is, well, not great. This directly impacts functionality.