Upcoming Trends In The iOS App Market to Look Out For

The internet is dictating the world of technology and entertainment in a big way and everyday manufacturers and developers of mobile phone and its software components are struggling to make their presence felt. The task obviously is not very easy in a market that is growing at a rapid rate and has almost 384 million exports worldwide.

The mobile app market is one of the highest revenue generating markets in the world. Android phones forms the bulk of this export accounting for over 84% of the market share, but if you think about developer’s revenue then Apple is hard to beat. Since Apple phones are quite high-end phones meant for high-end consumers, it’s pretty obvious that customers do not mind spending a fortune on relevant applications. Let us now look at the top trends in the iOS market that I expected to dominate the scene in the coming year.  

Wearable Gadgets

Apple was one of the first companies in the world to introduce the concept of smartwatch. Gradually other companies followed suit and initially they only supported some basic health and time functionalities. Apple is now dedicating a sizable portion of their workforce for creating apps for watches using software known as Watch Kit.

In the new app users can expect features like fitness activity, workout and fitness guide along a remote viewfinder for iPhone’s camera. In fact it is also speculated that the next version of Apple TV would contain apps dedicated to increase productivity in everyday life.

Mobile Security

It is a well-known fact that the mobile phone has almost taken up the place of a laptop or desktop computer. Unfortunately the issue regarding mobile phone safety is still not taken seriously and it is believed that in the year 2016 almost 75% of the mobile handsets sold worldwide would fail the security tests.

Given the high profile customer base of Apple it is very likely that Apple would now focus on enhancing the security features of the iOS platform, to stop hacking attacks.

Location based GPS services

Up till now traditional GPS was used for finding a route or driving direction on a map.  This technology is currently experiencing a sea change where consumers are targeted depending on their brick and motor location on a micro level.

It basically means that now companies can now send customers highly contextual and meaningful messages and advertisements on their smartphones. For example if a customer happens to pass by Wal-Mart or any other shopping mall, the retailer can send them different relevant coupons and deals which they think a particular customer could be interested in.

Another great feature of this technology is geo-fencing which can play a big role in preventing unauthorized access to any Apple product. For example if an iPad or iPhone which belongs to a company happens to leave the premises, without the knowledge of the administrator he can immediately disable the device and safeguard all confidential information.

The Wi-Fi GPS technology is increasingly being adopted by sports stadiums and airports and this would provide app developers with valuable information which can be used for creating location-specific applications

In-App Purchases

The trend behind in App purchases is gradually rising. Customers rarely like to pay for an app that they have no idea about. So instead of charging money for a particular app, companies are now opening their app base to customers to explore. Once they find the app useful, revenue can be generated by offering in- app shopping facilities and up gradation. Since iPhone users do not lack money, it won’t be hard to tempt them with a good product. Currently 75% of the products available in the Apple App store is free and by 2016 the company hopes to increase this number to 93%, which alone is a proof of the fact that this policy is indeed a very effective revenue generating tactics.