Why I'm disappointed in React Native (opens in new tab)

I agree 100%. This completely defeats the point of web technologies - you must as well write C# and use Xamarin.

I don't want to learn yet another HTML-type spec plus a CSS fork. The whole point was to use web technologies: JS + HTML + CSS to develop mobile and web apps that look the same. WebViews are finally improving to the point where great PhoneGap apps can be written. Instead of improving PhoneGap and web technologies further we'll end up with the equivalent of Python + wxWidgets, and we all know how that turned out for the desktop = the lowest common denominator. The mismatch between declarative React UI and imperative native components is gonna bite you in the ass sooner or later. It's completely different to HTML which is declarative to begin with.

Whats the deal with native looking apps? Why are devs so desperate to make apps look native? The great thing about the web is that all web apps look different, they have their own branding and UI flow and there's nothing wrong with that. Look at the best mobile apps: Uber, Airbnb - they dont look native, and they try to look the same on all platforms. I thought that was the future of the web. Because if it isn't, I might as well learn Swift.

They don't want to make the web better, they want to make their apps better. Personally, I want to write apps in JavaScript that don't suck. And as they point out in the first video, web apps with a native wrapper over them suck. So, I am pretty excited to try it.

I'm not sure I agree with the author. It's not like React for the web is going to go away, if anything this is lowering the barrier of entry for web developers to develop native mobile experiences for their web applications.