Explore Hidden Opportunities of Augmented Reality & Mobile App Development

We’re well in 2019, and a trend that started a few years back in now in full swing: augmented reality app development. The reason for this tremendous growth is simple, unlike VR, mobile AR has a huge installed hardware base. According to recent statistics by Forbes, Apple estimates 200 million existing phones can run ARKit apps and Google says at least 100 million can run on ARCore today.

In addition to games, augmented reality app development has the potential to revolutionize utility apps and usher in new forms of mobile advertising. It allows existing brands to amend their strategies to engage customers and bridge the gap between the digital and real world. Looking down the road, AR could even potentially become a primary interface for an entire ecosystem of real-time service-based applications.

Does it mean the origin of AR will be the death of brick and mortar businesses? Surprisingly, it is the opposite. From providing immersive experiences on smartphones, AR can also transform in-store experiences for its users.

Also Read: AR is all set to take E-commerce to another level

Augmented Reality App Development: A Disruptive, Formidable Immersive Technology and its Impact on the Marketplace

Simply put, augmented reality enhances the user’s real-world experience in real-time. Unlike VR which creates an artificial environment, AR uses the existing environment to overlay new information on the top of it. AR can be experienced in multiple ways through headsets and displays on mobile devices thus increase chances to reach broader audiences.

The AR software market is expected to reach $35.22 billion by 2022. (Source: Medium)

Potential of AR is immense thus, the organizations that want to keep the pace with the modern technology trends are utilizing the technology to deliver an exceptional user experience.

Challenges You Face in Augmented Reality Mobile App Development

One of the biggest challenges is the limited hardware capabilities. Mobile AR is all about superimposing high-quality visual data on the real-time surroundings which are captured by a user’s camera. Different smartphones have different capabilities that imply some of the devices are not optimal for capturing 3D hybrid reality.

Another problem that arises is from the accuracy of inbuilt GPS sensors of mobile devices. A higher degree of precision is required otherwise apps run into problems with the accuracy of information display.

Besides its few drawbacks, AR app developers are confident that technology can unleash the power of innovation and bring enormous benefits for businesses and consumers. There are several Mobile App Development Companies in California that are leveraging its capabilities to expand the horizons while breaking down the limitations to achieve the unachievable.

Beyond Gaming: Top 3 Industries Augmented Reality is Poised to Transform

Living in a competitive era, organizations can no longer afford to watch their competitors innovate with the latest technologies. Let’s see how augmented mobile app development solutions have helped diverse industries to bring an incredible change in their business dynamics.

• Real Estate

Real Estate industry is evolving fast. Augmented reality is becoming an increasingly popular technology in the industry as it allows real estate agents to offer unique experiences by providing digital tours of properties to potential buyers. Real estate augmented app saves time, allows more precise product representation, enhances customer engagement, and reaches customers worldwide.

• Healthcare

Augmented reality in healthcare has wide-reaching implications that modernize the medical sector. From providing real-time assistance during complicated surgical procedures to support aftercare, augmented reality healthcare app makes existing healthcare processes more efficient and effective. Moreover, utilizing technology medical training becomes more interactive, helping trainee physicians to understand better instead of joining dots from books and whitepapers.

• Education

Schools, educators, and educational institutions are adopting new approaches to fulfill the demands of alpha children generation.  Thanks to emerging technologies augmented reality, learning becomes efficient, faster, much more fun. By using education AR apps, you can increase content understanding, enhance long-term memory retention, improve collaboration, and maximize student motivation.

In addition to prior mentioned industries, there are many more industries that are using augmented reality mobile app development as a secret wand to bring a competitive edge to their businesses.

A Quick Look at the Best Augmented Reality Mobile Development Platforms

There are various augmented reality app development kits that are available in the market, however, choosing the right one for your app can make all the difference. Top 3 AR development tools 2019 for developing augmented reality app are:

Vuforia

One of the top-leading portals for augmented application development, Vuforia, having a remarkable set of features.

• It recognizes multiple objects including boxes or cylinders and supports text recognition including approx. 100,000 words or custom vocabulary.
• It provides the Unity plugin and supports both local and cloud storage.
• Using its Smart terrain feature, it allows creating a 3D geometric map of any environment.

Pricing:

• Basic Plan is available at $42/ month
• Basic + Cloud Plan at $99/ month

ARToolKit

An open-source augmented reality tool which offers a rich set of features for tracking, like:

• It supports the Unity 3D plugin and OpenSceneGraph
• It can easily integrate with smart glasses
• Effective GPS and compass support for the creation of location-based AR apps

Pricing:

• Free version with limited features
• Pro version is available at one-time fee $499
• Enterprise Subscription – $599 per year

Google ARCore

With two million active Android users, Google couldn’t miss the opportunity to create AR apps on this operating system. The toolkit works with Java/ OpenGL, Unreal, and Unity. It provides features like motion tracking, environmental understanding, and smart light tracking that helps to create AR apps that work best in the industry.

How Much Does It Cost to Make an AR Mobile App

Even though more and more businesses have begun to realize the potential of AR apps, still there is a huge shortage of well-developed AR apps in the marketplace. There are innumerable reasons for this, however, the most relatable is budget. Trying to figure out, how much an AR app development costs?

There are diverse factors that influence the development cost, for instance, business model, app complexity, UI/UX, features of the app, and above all choice of the app development company. An average AR app development cost lies in between $50,000 to $2,50,000.

To get a fair estimate of your app idea, you can use our custom-built app cost calculator tool. All you need to do is to answer a few questions about your innovative idea and get approx. cost value within minutes.

Real full article:  How Much AR-VR App Development Cost

Closing Statement

From gaming to AR in browsers and mobile phones, augmented reality apps are developed at a rapid pace to boost business growth of many industries. Now is the time to look for mobile app developers who can jump into mobile AR and take the mobile app ecosystem to the next level.