I'm not saying that native apps > web apps isn't true, but…
> * Request stuff from arbitrary URLs without a CORS proxy
CORS isn't a proxy; it's a browser policy/algorithm that allows a site the opportunity to say "yes (or no), other websites may (or may not) make AJAX requests here". The native app (unless you've informed it somehow, or it has done something malicious) doesn't have the user's cookies, whereas the browser does, and needs to be a bit more cautious.
> * Open TCP and UDP sockets
There are websockets, which aren't the same, I'll admit. Frankly, I'm not sure I want my web pages to be able to arbitrarily open TCP/UDP sockets. (I don't really want my native apps to be able to on whim, either…)
> * Barometric sensors
You mean like current air pressure? Are there common devices out there with these? (None of my computing devices have anything like this, for example.) (and what would I want this for?)
> * Request stuff from arbitrary URLs without a CORS proxy
CORS isn't a proxy; it's a browser policy/algorithm that allows a site the opportunity to say "yes (or no), other websites may (or may not) make AJAX requests here". The native app (unless you've informed it somehow, or it has done something malicious) doesn't have the user's cookies, whereas the browser does, and needs to be a bit more cautious.
> * Open TCP and UDP sockets
There are websockets, which aren't the same, I'll admit. Frankly, I'm not sure I want my web pages to be able to arbitrarily open TCP/UDP sockets. (I don't really want my native apps to be able to on whim, either…)
> * Barometric sensors
You mean like current air pressure? Are there common devices out there with these? (None of my computing devices have anything like this, for example.) (and what would I want this for?)