24 december 2019
What has the year flown by! It is already almost 2020. Time to look ahead in this blog to the trends for 2020 regarding mobile apps.
1. Boundaries between smartphones, tablets and computers are blurring
The screens of telephones, tablets and computers grow together in all directions. There are very large telephones that are almost tablet-sized and there are tablets that are almost the size of a computer. The real borders have been blurring for years, but that will only increase in 2020.
2. More progressive web apps
Because the boundaries between the devices are blurring, the progressive web app has been on the rise for years. It is a kind of hybrid between an app and a mobile website. You open the app via a browser, you can install an icon on your homepage and you can use it offline. Apple is just not that keen as it undermines their revenue model with the Apple Store. However, we think that the PWAs will take an even bigger flight in 2020.
3. More forms of subscription as a business model
The earnings models in apps have also been changing more and more recently. Paying for an app itself or in-app purchases is becoming less popular. Instead, we see that subscription types are taking off. Think of apps such as Spotify, Netflix, Tinder, Disney plus, Apple Arcade or Readly.
4. Foldable telephones
Various foldable telephones have already been designed. In 2020, that number will only grow as the phones get better and cheaper. That is why it will be time in 2020 to reflect on your app strategy! The screens become larger, take on different shapes and become better suited for multi-windows and therefore also multitasking.
5. 5G is coming
It has been buzzing around for some time: the successor to 4G is 5G and it is on its way. 5G has a much higher bandwidth, which means that many more devices can connect at the same time. The first tests with 5G started this year in the Netherlands. T-Mobile was the first to test and expect to have the network ready by 2020. The smartphones at this moment are by no means all able to use 5G, but that is also coming!
The advantage is that the internet itself becomes much faster and more stable: that of course also influences the user-friendliness of your app!
6. Augmented and virtual reality
These techniques are of course not new: think of Pokémon Go from a few years ago. But we will also see growth with this in 2020, certainly thanks to ARKit by Apple and ARCore by Google.
ARe you seeing this?! With new AR features in Search rolling out later this month, you can place, view and interact with 3D objects right in your own space. #io19 pic.twitter.com/Q61U0r2Hvg
— Google (@Google) May 7, 2019
Until now it was mainly in games but we will see in 2020 that it will spread to many more markets. Consider, for example, the medical world in which a doctor can perform surgery remotely.
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