Augmented Reality (AR)
By now, many people know what augmented reality (AR) is, but the technology has not yet lived up to its promise. Hardly anyone uses their smartphone as an AR device. The technology is advanced, but using it still feels a bit uncomfortable. The people behind Layar must have noticed this too and have shifted their strategy somewhat towards print. The latest IKEA catalogue also uses this. The same goes for WordLens; an application that translates all kinds of words and texts directly when you point your smartphone camera at it. Very handy if you can't read a menu in a foreign language.
So far, most apps that use AR seem more gimmicky than apps that users actually use. Maybe that will list to data change once Google Glass is ready for the masses. Then the only question remains: will people actually want to walk around with AR glasses? We'll see, but probably not this year.
Near Field Communication (NFC)
Although NFC is already widely used as a technology, it seems that especially the more experienced users know that their phone has NFC capabilities. Major financial players such as Visa are experimenting with initiatives to pay with the NFC chip. This is now built into most high-end Android phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 . For early adopters with such a smartphone, NFC could well become the trend of the year. Because Apple is not participating in the NFC craze, slightly less than half of all smartphone users are excluded from this method of communication between devices. The question is whether Apple sees any benefit in the technology at all. Even the CEO of one of the world's most innovative financial services providers, PayPal, thinks that NFC is no longer a solution , but a temporary bridge. Many parties are desperately looking for the holy grail for mobile payments and as always: "the early bird gets the worm".
However, the market does not seem ready for wider user adoption.
And what next?
Should all these trends be used in an app? Of course not, but it can inspire us while brainstorming a new mobile strategy. Ultimately, the customer decides which features an app should have. The development of new possibilities, technologies and ideas is an ongoing process. Annual trend lists are therefore actually pointless. It is important to look at all these lists with a critical eye and continuously evaluate whether something will become big or will stay on the shelf for another year. Only by doing this can you continue to deliver the best mobile solutions.