We're a long way from the wallet becoming the next browser. But there's more than one way to get there.
I wrote another article that was published on the week-end in Fortune, entitled The growth of Web3 depends on crypto wallets—and how we choose to use them.
The article discusses the question, Will the popularity of wallets lead users to a Web3 world, or will current web apps move more quickly in that direction by first incorporating built-in wallet functionality?
It's a bit of a trick question because both paths will be valid, in my opinion.
Having more built-in wallets inside apps is inevitable, and that trend is going to increase. In these cases, the app itself is the main attraction, and the wallet takes a second-class position to it. In these cases, there is tight integration between the app and wallet experiences.
Then what happens when you own a variety of cryptocurrencies? You will need a multi-currency wallet to hold them. That's where the standalone wallet comes in. In that standalone category, there is more than just holding currency. These wallets also function as a bridge to "decentralized apps", ones that use the wallet as a user login or for authentication and pseudo-identity purposes, such as for Decentralized Finance.
Today, we have an abundance of choices in standalone wallets, while there is a shortage of useful apps that use the built-in wallet in a significant and essential way.
With that backdrop as a set-up, I invite you to click on the link and read (no paywall) the full article, The growth of Web3 depends on crypto wallets—and how we choose to use them.
P.S. The image above was generated by starryai with the prompt "A bridge depicted by cryptocurrency wallets." I was pleasantly surprised that it also included the hamburger menu alluding to apps, although I didn't give it that directive.
