> pretend that web apps can replace native apps.

We don’t need to pretend. Web apps must and already did replace a whole class of apps that never should’ve been native to start with.

For example: why would you even need native app for HN?

Depends on the app. For example, I'm using Wikipedia's excellent native app even though Wikipedia is basically text-and-images only site.

I could imagine a nice native app for Hacker News, too

What does it do that web version won’t be able to?

I don't lose a tab among hundreds others if I need to reference something. It has all the necessary navigation on-screen (language switch, search inline, table of contents)

Don't get me wrong, wikipedia website is also brilliant: fast and reaponsive. The app is simply adjusted to the platform it's on, including all the mobile interactions you've come to expect. For example, there's no hover on mobile. In the app I can tap-hold a link and see the preview that you see on hover on Wikipedia's site.

I pretty much never use the HN website, fwiw. The UX is worse than the iOS app Hack.

I’d hate to use a web app for maps, notes, document writing, IDE, messaging, etc. I always prefer a good native app to a good website.