Trends in application development. What will the creators surprise us with?
The mobile application market is gaining momentum. According to Research, in a year’s time, its global value will reach almost USD 93 billion. This shows the dynamics of the development of this industry. What are the top trends in this sector?
In the coming years, the mobile application market will be characterized by a dynamic growth rate.Research forecasts indicate that already in 2018 its value will amount to over USD 25 billion, and only in Europe. This will account for 27% of the global market.
Where does the demand for such tools come from?
The direct cause is the need for mobility and, consequently, an increase in the use of smartphones and tablets. In total, the average person spends over 6 hours a day using these mobile devices. It is our tool for quick access to information, communication, e-banking, entertainment – a smartphone is becoming more and more indispensable as a personal assistant. Compared to mobile websites, the applications are faster, more interactive and provide additional features such as geolocation and a camera. Applications are present in almost every area of human life and there are many indications that in the near future they will replace traditional desktops with new ones.
Multimedia instant message
Social media and mobile communicators have become the main communication medium and triumph over traditional SMS. This is not only because of the immediate contact, which de facto forces the continuity of the conversation. Modern instant messengers have a consistent, often attractive interface and a number of additional features. Almost all available forms of digital information, such as video or sound, as well as most document formats, are already transmitted via them. The lack of anonymity of the callers also speaks in favour.
According to data from App Annie 2016 Retrospective – Mobile’s Continued Momentum, in 2016 users spent most of their time using Facebook, Messenger and WhatsUp. – Despite the presence of proven and widely accepted social media applications, there is always room for new tools to enter the market. Head of the mobile application team at Transition Technologies Group. However, it should be remembered that the popularity of the new application may be temporary. It will be weakened by adding similar functionality to a competitive product. An example is the introduction of Instagram Stories in response to Snapchat, which has 150 million users after 25 weeks. However, innovation is the key to success here,” he adds.
IoT, VR and AR also in applications
More and more everyday devices have the ability to communicate via Wifi or Bluetooth. By interconnecting with each other and with specialized sensors and sensors, they become part of the Things Internet ecosystem that is revolutionizing the world of technology. This makes it possible to use mobile apps to control your car, home, household appliances and audio/video devices. Although until recently this may have been only a part of a movie scenario, today it is possible to control a washing machine, lighting or alarm system from any place and at any time, and only a smartphone is necessary for this purpose.
Another profitable application for mobile apps is gaming. An example of strong market entry is the Pokemon GO application, which generated a revenue of USD 950 million in 2016, thus becoming the third most profitable game on the market. What is interesting, mobile platforms are already starting to win against computer games or consoles in terms of revenue. The strength of this market can be seen in the advertisements for mobile games appearing on television.
The success of this game lies in the use of Augmented Reality technology and geolocation data. This has made it possible to combine real-world elements with digital visualizations. The effect of this combination can be seen on the screen of a tablet or smartphone, and the player must physically move around the area to go through the subsequent stages of the game. Such a procedure made us deal with a high level of involvement of the recipient and it is a guide for the next creators.
The next step to increase the player’s involvement are applications using Virtual Reality. Although the purchase of special VR glasses is a considerable expense, thanks to the cardboard cardbord and smartphone apps, everyone can get acquainted with the possibilities of this technology at no extra cost.
In terms of further development of mobile applications and the potential of UX (User Experiance), more intuitive interfaces, simple operation and aesthetic appeal are to be expected. It is possible that in a few years’ time the desktop will become a thing of the past, and its places will be replaced by mobile devices and portable technologies (wearables).
Categories: Tech
