I've never, ever seen an HTML5 app that comes even close to being as smooth as a native app. HTML5 is not a comparable option for the foreseeable future.
It's best to build a simple native app for iOS that covers the core of your service, and then an Android app if your audience is particularly likely to have Android phones.
EDIT: Also, the approval process is a non-issue now, it takes a week at most to be approved, and 2-3 days if you email ask them to expedite. The problems with long delays are long over, starting early last year things started improving exponentially.
Comments
I've never, ever seen an HTML5 app that comes even close to being as smooth as a native app. HTML5 is not a comparable option for the foreseeable future.
It's best to build a simple native app for iOS that covers the core of your service, and then an Android app if your audience is particularly likely to have Android phones.
EDIT: Also, the approval process is a non-issue now, it takes a week at most to be approved, and 2-3 days if you email ask them to expedite. The problems with long delays are long over, starting early last year things started improving exponentially.