When it comes to mobile technology it is important to be ahead of the curve when adopting trends. These tech updates are often beneficial for marketers. We are going to look at the landscape of mobile as we move closer to the new year to help you beat that curve. I'm going to give you the top mobile tech trends that will be prominent in 2019 to continue our trends series that Dave Chaffey kicked off earlier this month.
Big brands like Google and Apple showing breathtaking new AR (augmented reality) demos on iPhone 8 and iPhone X are proof that AR is going to be the game of 2019. With the most recent arrival of ARKit 2, Apple is providing developers and organizations with an improved platform to make AR apps.
However, AR mobile technology will continue to extend its functionality into other applications for business as well. Holographic presentations and interactive seminars are just a few examples of how this tech may expand into mobile platforms.
Gone are the days when virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies were deemed to be for high-end gaming applications only. While apps like Real Strike and Pokemon Go are definitely showing the potential of AR-based gaming, use of applications powered by augmented reality is expanding in both the enterprise space and the consumer space.
Asia-Pacific has emerged as a fastest growing geographical area of the global mobile AR market – with the latter slated to reach $80 billion by the end of 2022. Dedicated AR applications will go up by almost three times in the 2018-2022 time span (4680 million in 2022; 1570 million in 2018).
By the next year itself, the total count of AR/VR based apps will go beyond 5 billion. Developers have understood the need to deliver more immersive, innovative, 360° experiences to final users – and as such, they are trying to incorporate AR modules in their apps, to drive up engagement levels.
As we move closer to the singularity, developers find further use for artificial intelligence (AI,) in a range of mobile apps. AI helps developers secure their security systems during the development stage. The tech allows them to predict security loopholes before they occur. This tech is particularly useful in e-commerce where AI improves security around checkout and payment.
AI has in-app use as well. The tech enhances the efficiency of voice commands and predicts decisions you make before you execute them on your device. AI improves efficiency for marketers on mobile platforms. Tech like Facebook’s “pixel,” allow marketers to push products and services you may be interested in consuming, directly into your newsfeed.
Mobile apps with built-in AI support will become even more mainstream in 2019 and beyond. ‘Intelligent’ digital assistants like Google Assistant, Siri and Amazon Alexa are showing the way – and the impact of ‘robots’ in day-to-day activities will increase considerably in the foreseeable future. Already, 4 out of every 10 business houses make use artificial intelligence, and the more refined machine learning techniques, to deliver optimized customer service (think of the shopping apps with AI-based chat support, to guide buyers along, and even help them complete transactions).
A big factor in the rising influence of AI in mobile app development has been the growing popularity of chatbots. At a conservative estimate, chatbot applications can generate yearly savings of up to $7.5 billion for businesses. The value of the worldwide AI industry will go past $1.2 trillion in 2019 – and we will be looking at a bigger-than-ever pool of ‘intelligent applications’. Right from voice search, predictive text for easier typing and GPS route suggestions, to email classifications, quick & correct translations, and email/photo classifications – AI can increase the usability of mobile apps in a myriad of ways.
The cloud is an essential technology for the advancement of app development. Applications that involve the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and IoT (Internet of Things,) require large volumes of storage space.
It’s impractical and cost-inefficient to host all of this related data on internal servers. Therefore, the cloud provides a solution to this storage issue. Mobile users also don’t have the storage capacity on their device to use apps that require large volumes of data. Once again, the cloud provides the storage capacity that frees up device memory for app users.
From customers to the tech professionals, everyone has heard about the cloud technology and how it’s impacting our collective lives. Today, cloud computing has finally found its place with mobile apps. Now, we can expect powerful mobile apps which directly fetch data from the cloud and take minimum space in your smartphone internal memory.
Google Drive, Dropbox, & OneDrive are only the tip of the iceberg. A Cisco research says– Globally, cloud apps will drive 90% of total mobile data traffic by 2019, and Mobile cloud traffic will be 11-fold with compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 60%.
75% of mobile apps would not pass even basic security tests. In support, a HP study states that 70.6% apps can access to external storage and 94.7% apps include logging methods. Hackers will tend to continue with the trend of exploiting known security gaps in mobile apps for stealing sensitive and confidential information. This is one of the negative mobile app development trends that is going to continue next year.
The modern world is increasingly mobile, and this poses new threats for corporate security. Dell research found that 22 percent of employees at small to mid-size organizations have lost a company-issued work device. At the same time, a Ponemon Institute study found that just 35 percent said they used a password or PIN code to secure their device. A company-issued device in the wrong hands could spell trouble without a passcode lock.
Since users are feeding and managing confidential data in their smartphones and other devices, they need excellent security measures in place. In 2019, developers will pay extra attention to creating built-in security features in mobile apps. The main technology providing safety and protecting user information will be blockchain encryption.
Encryption is also very complex with blockchain technology. It’s so complex that it makes it impossible for anyone without a decryption key to fool the system. This lends itself to any system that requires giving access to multiple users but also needs verification of information that is adjusted.
For instance, in the legal and financial sector, it’s common to need multiple signatures on a contract or document. Through the blockchain, this information could be edited and accessed all at once by multiple parties without anyone need to communicate with each other. The only verification required would be analyzing the blockchain and seeing the adjustments made.
What marketers need to think about is what these trends mean for your business activities through mobile. It is important to plan accordingly to make sure you have the relevant updates or additions in place before your competitors.
By doing the necessary research you will find many solutions that have already been put in place to make these trends attainable. Always be proactive and not reactive.
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