Following years of anticipation, mobile augmented reality (AR) apps are going mainstream and downloads are expected to drastically increase over the next four years. Downloads are projected to reach 1.2 billion in 2019 from 272 million in 2009, benefiting from smartphone and tablet technology development, according to a report issued by Tractica, a market intelligence firm that focuses on human interaction technology.
Through increasing processing capabilities and sensors on devices, the gaming and entertainment industries will drive app downloads, while retail, e-commerce, and product visualization, as well as education and toys, will also contribute to the high growth. This growth is expected to generate a $1.6B market for AR app designers, according to the report.
“Mobile augmented reality is beginning to shake off the reputation of being gimmicky, a perception that has dogged the industry for the last few years,” says principal analyst Craig Foster. “There is a growing awareness of AR and an understanding about how the technology can be beneficial in a variety of sectors.”
Though typically seen as an innovation specifically for gamers and video game designers, AR apps can provide a variety of unexpected services for its users that range from solving colorblindness to assisting outdoor hiking trips and vacations. Examples of AR apps now available for iPhone:
Star Chart – a free astronomy app available for both iPhones and Androids allows users to point there smartphone toward the sky and Star Chart will identify stars and planets near you. It also features options to view the sky in other locations along with a time feature displaying what the sky looks like 10,000 years in the past or future.
Dankam – an experimental iphone app creates an augmented reality for individuals with color-blindness allowing them to identify diffrences between colors accurately.
Click this link to view iPhoneness.com’s ’40 Best Augmented Reality iPhone Apps’.
http://www.iphoneness.com/iphone-apps/best-augmented-reality-iphone-applications/
