The future is cloud mobile but it needs many more apps to unlock the enormous potential
The Chief Executive of Cape Town-based Bluegrass Digital, Nick Durrant said both the development and application of mobile apps are changing so rapidly, it is crucial for businesses to incorporate mobile app trends to satisfy the ever-increasing demand from customers.
Quoting a 2019 survey among app developers by the authoritative Gartner Inc. based in the US, Durrant said the overwhelming majority of apps other than web apps, is developed for mobile – 91%.
Listing the latest trends in mobile apps, Durrant said these apps are already fulfilling a range of enterprise functions from management support to customer engagement, relying on new programming technologies that support faster connectivity and enhanced customer experience.
Much of the multi-experience quest depends on bandwidth and in this regard 5G technology is becoming the important future determinant. Mobile companies like Samsung and Verizon are already launching their dedicated 5G-capable chips and LG is also planning to fuse 5G services into its devices. With speeds nearly 100 times faster than 4G, many app developers build apps specifically for 5G.
Another trend will be to integrate apps with wearable devices, which it is estimated generated revenues of about US$33 billion in 2019. “Mobile app developers must integrate apps with wearable devices. They require a set platform to run e.g. an Apple Watch requires WatchOS and Android smartwatches sync with WearOS. Wearable devices will also be less dependent on the smartphone, currently it still needs to be kept close to the smartphone to function,” said Durrant.
Other areas that offer lucrative possibilities for the future are Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Augmented Reality, the wider use of Blockchain, Predictive Analytics, secure payment systems, and enhanced P2P communication.
With the rising importance of cloud services, it is a given that many more apps will need to be developed to integrate all these functionalities into consolidated, cloud-based data systems.
