Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Latest Trends and Challenges in iOS development

The worldwide smartphone market grew around 13% in 2015 Q2, with massive shipments of 341.5 million, according to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC), a global quarterly mobile phone tracker. Although Android took the lion share with 283 million units shipped which covered 84% of the market share in the third quarter of 2014 yet, iOS drew more money to iOS developers. It is probably because Android phones are low-end. Experts also credit Apple’s huge share of developers revenue to the fact that iOS is frequently updated.

The major redesign of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, along with the incorporation of iOS 8 (mobile) and OS X Yosemite (desktop operating systems) earned high marks for Apple in 2014, along with the advent of the Apple Watch, iPad and iPhone lineup.


























Some of the major trends in iOS app development:


1. Wearables and Smart Devices

In 2015, Apple launched its watch. It has given an enormous opportunity to the iOS Development Company to develop applications for iPhone, iPad and its wearables. There are many apps which are solely ruled by the iPhone. This gives the clear path for developers, or app development companies to update or extend their apps for Apple’s wearable device.

As if now, most of the wearable device applications are focused on healthcare and fitness industry. But with the improvement in development, many companies are bending towards wearable devices to compete with the changing demand.

There have also been some speculations suggesting that the next-generation Apple TV will feature a full App Store. To prepare for this, app developers need to shift their focus from smartphones and tablets to wearable device and Internet of Things applications.

2. Beacon Technology

Beacon Technology is the bridge between online and offline. It is a low-cost piece of hardware small enough to attach to a wall or countertop that use battery-friendly, low-energy Bluetooth connections to transmit messages or prompts directly to a smartphone or tablet. This technology extends location services in iOS devices.

Apps using iBeacon technology was rising the previous year. Many retail corporations, airports, museums, etc. had become iBeacons user. Android is also expected to follow the suit in 2015.

3. Application Security

Mobile app misconfigurations can challenge various security issues.
This can be a primary concern for smartphone and tablet users as they are increasingly shifting their personal and business data into these devices. Nowadays companies and consumers expect heightened security measures to guard their data.

So, to protect users’ sensitive information, developers need to take some serious steps towards enhanced iOS app security to provide better risk assurance.

Challenges with the Recent Trends

These latest trends are undoubtedly quite impressive. But if we see the other side of the coin, there are many challenges that the iOS developers are facing. Let us see what challenges should the iOS developer work upon:

1. Beta Users Testing

It enables users to check the app’s functionality and recognize any failure conditions, unique to an application.

2. User Interface

People adopt iOS devices mostly due to its clean design concept and excellent user experience. However, it becomes challenging to create an attractive user interface. The user interface displays the core features and functionality in an intuitive process flow. It is bit challenging to manage the limited amount of screen space with the increasing business expectations from the iOS application.

3. App Store Approval

Be sure to know the Apple App store’s guidelines before you begin with iOS app development task. Read and then implement all the listed rules and regulations so that applications get approved in the App Store at one shot.

4. Weak Network

The speed can be a major concern for the users. Therefore, it is necessary to pass your iOS application through a test done by the Network Link Conditioner that helps you in stimulating.

5. Flaw in Performance and Memory

Performance and memory constraints is another hurdle faced by iOS developers. Notably, iOS developers find difficult to manage memory within an application. One can have a risk of the application being deleted if it becomes a source control.

The hurdles as mentioned above are bit challenging for iOS developers. To overcome these challenges, the developers should show the maturity by handling challenges with minimum investment and compromising the final product.

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