An example of how something like this could be happening right now on the web has been the rise of high-performance JavaScript frameworks like node.js and most notably Famo.us.
Nothing is free, but the cost is relative to not hopping aboard the greatest rocket ship ride since the advent of the web, and the rise of the PC before that.
And I have argued that the rise of Web 2.0 last decade diverted many developers from mobile, leading to a relative dearth of mobile apps, especially in the enterprise side.