Mobile web is not dead but mobile app will rule the future

The mobile app development has exploded over the past few years, and it’s not a surprise that 2015 looks to be a much greater year for it. Believe it or not, but mobile app development is just its beginning stage. Also, according to stats, mobile internet users are expected to overtake desktop users in 2015. It means that more number of people will be looking for your website on a mobile device than on their desktop or laptop. In such scenario it doesn’t matter in what business you are in, you must have the portable application for your business so that your visitors can connect with you through mobile.

Mobile App or Mobile Web?

Before discussing mobile application development trends, we need to clear the dilemma whether one should go for mobile website or dedicated mobile app? The debate between these two is going from last 3-4 years, but with the passage of time, companies have been gradually moving towards the mobile apps as they understood their importance.

According to a survey conducted by Flurry (from yahoo), averages time spent on mobile apps by US consumers has risen to 2hrs & 42 mins and time spent on mobile browser is dropped to 22 mins per day. The reason behind this is quite simple i.e.

“Apps are convenient to use and have a quicker response time if compared to mobile websites”

Mobile apps have some disadvantages also, like a poor app experience can completely ruin users’ trust in your app. So one should keep a regular check on the app and try to fix errors and bugs as soon as possible.

Better tools, technology, ideas, developers are contributing towards rapid growth in the mobile industry. Lets have a look and discover some trends  to keep an eye on  in the near future to stretch mobile application development:

1. No. of OS’s are increasing: We know that iOS and android are leading in the race of becoming the top mobile OS, while Blackberry and Windows leading behind. But in future we  will see the growth of new mobile operating systems like Samsung’s Tizen, mobile Ubuntu OS, Mozilla’s mobile Firefox OS, Sailfish, etc. Most of these are aiming towards creating inexpensive smartphones which are enough to reach people of all economic levels. Due to this, more number of people in 2015 will be able to purchase their first smartphone. With all these operating systems coming in the mobile market, the no of apps being developed is definitely on the rise.
2. Mobile Website will look like mobile apps:  In 2015, as mobile usage exceeds desktop usage, mobile websites will start to resemble with mobile websites. This will lead companies to adopt “Mobile first approach” more strictly. We have examples of billion dollar apps like Instagram, snapchat which are counted strictly among mobile applications. Instagram website  was only a link to the app store for many years.
3. One Remote for All: Those days were gone in the past when remote controls were sold with every TV and stereo on the market. In current scenario your mobile will act like one remote for all electronic appliances in your household. It can be anything from air conditioner, alarm system, TV, stereo to car windows or even garage doors.
4. Era of fingerprints, end of Passwords: It is a common problem for most of the mobile users to remember passwords and pin numbers for dozens of accounts they have on the internet. Mobile apps in the future will definitely help you to solve this problem by replacing alpha numeric pins and passwords with fingerprints and retina scanners(may be).
5. In store mobile tracking: Searching for products in departmental stores is very common situation for many of us. Also, customers do not want to waste time in searching for products. Upcoming apps may tell you the location of an item in the store, its price, availability and accessibility.
6. No of Connected Devices on the Rise: Recently, Samsung launched a WI-Fi controlled Washing machine and a Nest (before being bought by Google) launched a smoke detector which is entirely controlled by a mobile application. In future we may see a boom in these kind of (or even more complex) connected devices.

Lets hope that all the above mentioned trends would be a good news for mobile app developers who wants to increase their revenue in the future. As the market and business trends evolve, mobile apps too needs to evolve and up to date to meet users’ expectations and to provide support for new devices and empower the mobile workforce. With knowledge of upcoming trends in mobile application development you always have a upper hand above your competitors.

By: Vipin Jain