The skyrocketing number of smartphone users around the world has also led to a surge in the number of applications that people use on them. Apple’s App Store has a mammoth two million applications, while Google Play boasts 2.2 million — and this number will not slow down any time soon. A recent comScore report indicates that mobile users have outpaced desktop users, and that the reversal happened as far back as 2014, while Gartner expects more than 268 billion downloads to generate $77 billion in worldwide revenue in 2017.
Today’s applications are built not only for smartphones, however; they are needed for wearables, connected houses and TVs, smart cars, Internet of Things-compatible peripherals and much more. This tremendous opportunity for entrepreneurs and consumers alike promises for some interesting developments in the business world in the next 12 months. Of course, if your business is seeking to upgrade its technological profile to take advantage of these trends, your first step will be to find a third-party app developer who understands the intricate complexities of designing mobile apps for this exciting and challenging new generation.
Major tech advances such as Cloud-based applications and services have gained prominence in 2016 and the ability to share and synchronize real-time data with the server and other devices has resulted in many innovations that you will not want to miss out on. According to the innovation experts at Toronto’s Clearbridgemobile.com, there are a number of key advancements to look for this year that promise to change the way mobile apps are designed and developed. Here are 3 major trends to keep an eye out for in 2017.
IoT Application Integrations
The IoT industry is booming right now, and applications that integrate well into the IoT ecosystem are the most likely to succeed. Companies in the areas of health (think Smart Surgery tools), security (think Biometrics), smart homes (think Connected TVs and other appliances), automobiles (think Driverless cars) and more have all begun to experiment and integrate with the most recent advances in IoT tech.
Location-Based Services (LBS)
With the availability and ease of use of GPS on all mobile devices today, LBS will begin to evolve and give users real-time information or offers based on their present location. Several key areas where LBS can be implemented and leveraged include internal mapping, location-specific payment portals, security features, navigation aids, as well as numerous retail offerings. The big technology giants have recently made huge purchases in the LBS space, and Beacon technology is also becoming more and more popular. Since the service drains the battery fast enough, hardware advances in this particular area can also allow developers and businesses to flourish in 2017.
Android Instant Apps
Google recently announced its Instant Apps feature that offers exactly what it promises – it allows Android applications to run instantly. These activated applications do not need to be downloaded or installed and can be run with a single click. This concept of “run-only-as-you-need” functionality could change the application industry. Imagine doing a search and then having a linked application running on the results page that can be run instantly without installation with no need for downloading or installation. Such applications are usually preview versions with some advanced features missing, but they are perfect for quick viewing and experience.
If these trends hold up (and all signs suggest they will), we should be seeing some truly ground-breaking apps coming our way in 2017 in a truly explosive and disruptive market space.