great post - let me add that native was forced into some of this by the web:

1. locked up files ==> that's for security, which wasn't an issue in the 1990s.

2. inconsistent look ==> people are embedding browsers inside apps for all sorts of reasons, ruining the "native" UI/UX even if the OS "look" were stable.

It took a while, but once again open source and the web kinda won, though if you like consistency, then I agree it's a pyrrhic victory...