This is the time of year app development industry insiders put on their prognosticator hats and give their opinions on what app developers can expect for the upcoming year. Cassidy Smith, Social Networks Manager at
StartApp, recently posted the company’s insight into 2014.
Following is an excerpt of her predictions.
In the year 2013, we saw several mobile markets mature such as smartphones and tablets. In addition, we saw other markets emerge such as wearables and other “internet of things” technologies like smart cars and smart homes. Now that the year 2014 is upon us, we are taking a look back at the big trends of 2013 and how they will fare in 2014 and beyond.
First for some general trends
In 2014, PC sales will continue to drop as smartphones and tablets become more universal. Smartphone sales are expected to grow by 12% in 2014, and tablets are expected to grow by 18%.
Revenues from the app market are also expected to explode, and most of that revenue is expected to come from free apps. In-app purchases will continue to drive huge sales for developers, especially as mobile payment systems become more advanced and localization technologies are perfected. In addition, mobile advertising is expected to boom in 2014, with mobile ad spend set to reach $20.3 billion USD. Most of that growth will come from rich media as microvideo ads will soon replace static banner advertisements.
Android Global Domination
The Android ecosystem really came into it’s in own in 2013. Today, Android has solidified its place at the top of the global mobile marketplace with over 80% of the global market share. This trend will almost certainly continue in 2014 as more countries look to become connected through mobile. Android’s user-friendly and low-cost smartphones will continue to dominate the market throughout the world.
In 2013, the Google Play Store finally became an actual competitor to the Apple App Store. Google Play is still growing at an incredible rate. In addition to the number of apps on the Google Play Store, revenue from those apps is growing as well. Known as the “app ecosystem value gap”, the Apple App Store has always seen nearly twice the revenues as the Google Play Store. Luckily for developers, this gap is expected to continue to shrink in 2014!
Apple to Find a New Niche?
Apple will continue to focus on the high-end of the smartphone and tablet market. To combat shrinking market share in emerging markets, it is predicted that Apple will begin to focus on enterprise and business solutions. A company is needed to fill the gap left by Blackberry, and Apple seems like the best bet as the “Bring Your Own Device” trend continues in the workplace. With enterprise apps earning a great deal more than consumer apps, Apple enterprise devs could have some great opportunities opening up in 2014.
To Windows and Beyond
Apple will also continue to lose market share to Windows Phone. Of the top 3 mobile operating systems, Windows is growing at the fastest rate. While it may be a while before Windows Phones become popular in established markets, Windows smartphones are increasingly popular in developing markets. The Windows App Store is also growing at a tremendous rate, and Windows is expected to improve its developer relations and developer tools in 2014.
Wearable tech is also expected to expand in 2014, but developers should be wary of investing too heavily in these emerging technologies. While the wearable tech market is indeed maturing, there is still a long way to go before wearable tech is fully embraced by the average consumer. Developing apps for cars or for homes may be a better bet. American car maker Ford has already unveiled its plans for a line of connected cars, and they are doing their best to lure developers. Also, as smartphones and tablets are more widely adopted, people will begin looking for more apps to monitor and manage their homes.
It’s clear that mobile will continue to go global in 2014. To stay ahead of the trends, devs should try their hand at business/enterprise apps or start looking into how they can help the “internet of things”. In the end, if 2014 is anything like 2013, app developers have a lot to look forward to!
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