App Clips are focused bits of functionality, not full apps, they are designed to get you to download the full app in the long run. The scooter rental is a prime example, if I visit Venice beach I could use my phone to scan a scooter and rent it without having to download the app, why is this useful? I am from the UK, theres no point in installing the app to only use for the day. However if I lived in LA I might download the app as I might use it fairly often. Like wise with a PWA if you open it from NFC/QR/some other thing, I would have the option to add it to my home screen, but once added it acts like an application.
It isn't about the apps themselves but the user flow of getting interaction from a user, and possible retention from a quick action like scanning a QR code. Yes they can be programmed to do those things, however you can't get them to open an instant app, you can get them to open a preinstalled app, but that is assuming users have that app installed which would cause friction is most cases. This is where App Clips & websites/pwas come in. As they open in the same way, with a url, if a website has a meta tag for an App Clip it will open on an iPhone, on Android it will open the website. Like I said before this works well to take a potential interaction and could lead to retention from a user.
Your missing the point... a PWA is an application that you downloaded... instead of the browser reading JavaScript from a web server, it reads a pre compiled web assembly... aka, an application. Granted this web assembly could have been created from JavaScript code originally...
App Clips are focused bits of functionality, not full apps, they are designed to get you to download the full app in the long run. The scooter rental is a prime example, if I visit Venice beach I could use my phone to scan a scooter and rent it without having to download the app, why is this useful? I am from the UK, theres no point in installing the app to only use for the day. However if I lived in LA I might download the app as I might use it fairly often. Like wise with a PWA if you open it from NFC/QR/some other thing, I would have the option to add it to my home screen, but once added it acts like an application.
It isn't about the apps themselves but the user flow of getting interaction from a user, and possible retention from a quick action like scanning a QR code. Yes they can be programmed to do those things, however you can't get them to open an instant app, you can get them to open a preinstalled app, but that is assuming users have that app installed which would cause friction is most cases. This is where App Clips & websites/pwas come in. As they open in the same way, with a url, if a website has a meta tag for an App Clip it will open on an iPhone, on Android it will open the website. Like I said before this works well to take a potential interaction and could lead to retention from a user.
Your missing the point... a PWA is an application that you downloaded... instead of the browser reading JavaScript from a web server, it reads a pre compiled web assembly... aka, an application. Granted this web assembly could have been created from JavaScript code originally...
PWAs aren't web assembly (they can be, but don't have to be), the definition isn't straight forward. But this is a good resource web.dev/pwa-checklist