In 2016, mobile overtook desktop in its use, with more people using mobile to do more tasks than on laptops/desktops. More than 2,000,000 apps are available in the Apple store and even more in the Google Play store.
However, the trend is that app downloads were way down in 2016 (<1 per month) due to the fact that mobile users are able to use and do more with their core apps: a) Messaging, b) Browsing and c) Social Media. These core apps are integrating more seamlessly together with each other as well as with the mobile operating system itself for core services (location, camera, video, etc.).
Those were just some of the insights Michael Trapani, Product Marketing Manager, IBM Watson Marketing, shared during his IBM Amplify session, The Strange Future of Mobile.
Michael outlined the transformation of mobile starting back in 2007 with the Nokia 1100, followed by Android and Android app store launch to today where the Apple iPhone now is the greatest market share on the planet.
The future of the web is the continued growth of content formats and volumes of data. Growth in 2016 can be attributed to the social and media presences from these core apps outlined.
Future Trends:
–Artificial Intelligence (AI) will mature as a concept. AI will create insights from: a) Data Insights and b) Personalization of this data.
-Finding that innovation is everywhere and no longer centralized in areas like Silicon Valley. Great examples are “peer-to-peer payments,” which was innovated by WeChat and then made available in WhatsApp, and others.
–Virtual Reality (VR): next-gen VR is already in progress and will be with us for some time – this is not a fad.
–Augmented Reality (AR): Watch for an evolution to support sensors for touch, hearing and then sharing this to others.
-Wearables: Will continue to grow and are just getting started…
eCommerce will take advantage of these trends to solve real problems including:
- AR to solve the problem of seeing what an apparel item will look like on the customer.
- Faster delivery for the customer via drones and better transportation logistics.
- AI to create data insights from data to drive a highly optimized personalized experience.
