By 2015, nearly 1.4bn mobile apps with augmented reality (AR) elements will be downloaded annually, according to a new report from Juniper Research. This compares to just over 11m downloads in 2010.
The Mobile Augmented Reality report found the number of AR-capable apps on offer has already risen dramatically, while the range of products available has widened significantly from the initial wave of location-based search apps and browsers to cover games, social networking, education, lifestyle and personal healthcare apps. These developments have been accompanied by the surge in the installed base of AR-capable smartphones.
In addition, the report noted that brand interest in, and awareness of, AR rose dramatically over the latter half of 2010, with a number of leading brands either creating apps with AR content or else utilising existing mobile AR apps to enable end users to access the AR elements of advertising campaigns.
“High-profile companies, such as Carlsberg, are integrating branded AR apps into wider campaigns, while others – Time Out, Royal Mail, Coca-Cola – are using B2C applications, such as junaio, to facilitate AR content,” said the report’s author, Dr Windsor Holden. “These initiatives are indicative of a growing desire amongst brands to use AR as a key tool to engage with the consumer.”
The report also found that annual revenues generated by mobile AR applications and services are expected to approach US$1.5bn by 2015, up from less than US$2m in 2010.
Article courtesy of Businessandleadership.com
