In this post we’re covering some of the most current trends in terms of app development, showcasing the hottest apps, and best frameworks used currently and mentioning a few up-and-coming potentially great trends for next year.
In terms of overall investment and focus, app development has once again in 2017 leapt forward, breaking all records again this year. Large businesses and enterprises are investing in mobile apps to secure their data internally and to keep track of employees and customers. Small business owners are using apps to help them promote their services and products, and managing inventory and wages.
Private individuals are still downloading more and more apps from the popular app stores, and while app game developers are not as successful as in 2016, every other app development area has seen a huge increase in number of downloads and revenues generated.
Wearable gadgets and Internet of Things
From the Apple Watch to Alexa, to Philips Hue – the number of amazing gadgets is increasing every day, and we’re continually seeing the boundaries pushed further and further. Prices are going down rapidly, making the technology more affordable for the average person, and more companies are creating new products and solutions, as well as campaigning and spreading the word to the general public.
And looking at the investments happening in 2017, 2018 is not going to be any different – in fact we might see an even larger increase in adoption rates and investment pools next year. And wall street analysts are predicting a record year for IoT gadgets this christmas, meaning that a large number of people are set to receive connected devices in their christmas stockings.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Big data has come to stay, and is increasingly making a larger and larger impact in the way especially large enterprises do business. From tracking customers through the sales funnel, to keeping track of internal records, machine learning can be a great tool to quickly develop an overview of even the most complex data.
But it’s not just about large amounts of data, or hugely complex calculations. Artificial intelligence is also being used quite extensively in chatbot apps that are powered some of the largest websites in the world. These chatbots are designed to hold a conversation with a human being in a natural language, and some of the best ones are already passing the turing test, a set of questions designed to classify intelligence.
Machine learning can also help make informed decisions based on hundreds of thousands of calculated metrics, making it easier for executives to plan ahead for success. But perhaps more importantly, most people are automatically intrigued by artificial intelligence, and it is a subject that is very interesting for a larger number of people. This means that advancements are driven not only by the potential for earning more money, but because people genuinely care about this topic.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
Ever since Pokémon Go successfully adopted AR into their popular game, developers have been busy working hard at copying this highly effective and popular technology into their own games and applications.
We’re seeing a trend however that shifts from implementing AR and VR in games, to moving more towards the retail, entertainment and real estate apps. And this is a very good indicator of the technology is working well. When large businesses and industries notice lesser ones having success, they are sure to do their own research and evaluate the prospects.
Analysts are predicting a 100% increase yearly over the next 5 years in terms of investments flowing into AR and VR projects, so this trend will still be actively increasing in 2018, and will without a doubt produce exciting new apps and features.
Mobile Payments
This item has been on list of popular trends for a number of years now, but while both Google and Apple, just to mention the largest names, have tried to get consumers to adopt mobile payments, the users just aren’t showing a strong enough interest.
And combined with the exceptionally large requirements in terms of legal issues and bank approvals, this is not a trend that is solved, and thus it will still be up for debate in 2018 as to which app or company will be the first to create a truly good solution that works in most countries and on most devices.
The reward is potentially enormous, for even a fraction of a percentage on each transaction would net a mobile payment processor large amounts of money virtually every day. For now though, we are still waiting for that perfect app to enable easy payment for our goods in all stores across all states and countries.
Conclusion
Technologically, we’re at a crossroads in terms of what the future holds and what mobile apps are becoming capable of. Most science fiction writers have assumed that robots would have a human-looking body, but in reality the future might see us all having intelligent smartphones way before we get fully locomotive robots with artificial intelligence.
HEY ! I’m Nil (Founder of OnlineDrifts.com), Digital Marketer, Affiliate Marketer and a blogger writing about blogging tips, SEO, Tech Tips etc.
