Author Archives: Hussain Fakhruddin

Are You A Unity Developer? Be Wary Of These Mistakes!

Sommon errors while working with Unity game engine

 

With nearly 46% market share and 48% developer share worldwide, Unity is by far the most popular game development engine at present. While Cocos and Unreal Engine have their own sets of fans, it is tough to argue with the leadership position of Unity in this domain – particularly when the latter has more than 4.6 million registered game developers working with it. With the barrier to entry being much lower than most of the other engines, many newbies try their hands at creating custom 2D/3D games with Unity too. There are certain common mistakes that Unity developers often face, and we turn our attentions to those in what follows:

  • Using both C# and JavaScript in object scripts – Those who make mobile games with Unity can use either JavaScript or C# in the scripts (that would be attached to the objects). Mixing up both would be a folly though. A script that uses both the languages becomes difficult to access by another script – and for the developer too, things can get very confusing. It is an absolute myth that working with C# or JavaScript in Unity has any particular advantage – and developers should stick with any one (and not use both) while coding for games.
  • Concatenating strings in every frame – Doing so should not throw up any errors per se, but it is nevertheless a lot of avoidable, time-wasting work. Instead of using the conventional method to concatenate strings (say, ‘Hello’ + ‘World’), programmers should ideally do it without using the ‘+’ sign. Remember that every time you cache stings, a new string object gets created – and hence, concatenating in each frame can make the whole code bulky and unmanageable.
  • Runtime null reference error – New Unity2D developers often face the problematic Null Reference Error. This error is generally thrown when either any of the object fields do not have anything called in them (for instance, in GameObject or Transform), or when GetComponent is used but that required component is missing in the game object. For assigning variables at runtime, it is always advisable to include RequireComponent(Type).
  • Not using force in Rigidbody – Contrary to what many new mobile game developers think, position is NOT the only property of objects in a game. An object also has values like angular velocity and speed – and all the properties should remain consistent with each other, to make sure that the game physics is not botched up in any way. There is every chance of things going wrong when a developer uses Rigidbody, alters the position of an object with a script – and does not call any force or torque on it. When a force/torque is used, the collision handlers are managed properly, and the overall physics no longer remains dependent on the frame rates. Keep in mind that functions like AddForce and AddExplosiveForce need to be called in FixedUpdate.

Note: OnCollisionEnter and OnTriggerEnter are two examples of collision handlers used in Unity.

  • Not making optimal use of the Profiler – With Unity 5, Profiler has arrived in the free version of the game engine (earlier, it was available only in Unity Pro). It serves multiple functions for game development experts. However, many newbies do not know, and hence, fail to use Profiler in the proper manner. For starters, it allows developers to remotely test their Android or iOS games – which leads to more accurate results than testing games on editors in the same system. Garbage collection and fixing memory leaks are two other important functions of the Profiler as well. It can even be used for profiling scripts by making code blocks (to make the overall performance of the algorithm more systematic). Unless the Profiler is used, and used well, developers will not be able take full advantage of the updated Unity game engine.
  • Basic syntax errors – There is no other way of putting this – programming requires undivided attention, and that too, for relatively long periods at a stretch. If you are a Unity developer, check and double-check whether you have put brackets and inverted commas in pairs (e.g., if a “ or a [ is present but their closing “ and ] is not, errors will be thrown). In addition, ensure that you have not missed out on any of the semi-colons at the required areas. Finding and rectifying a mistake here later on can be a big (and unnecessary) challenge.
  • Overusing the Unity Asset Store – Make no mistake, the Unity Asset Store is wonderfully well-stacked. From audio and scripts, to textures and models – there is a whole lot of things available, and it is hardly surprising that game developers use resources from the Asset Store in their games. Doing so too much would not be a good idea though – particularly if you wish to lend a unique visual feel to your iOS/Android game (field depth, outlines and chromatic aberration are some of the resources that are used by nearly every game-maker). What’s more, in a hurry to gather more resources, new developers often end up downloading scripts that are not even compatible with their games. Make sure that everything you get from the Asset Store indeed goes with your game, and try to create your own effects instead of the standard ones (whenever possible).
  • Not using scripts that are generic enough – This is particularly important for mobile app developers coding in C# with Unity. The extent of reusability of a code is directly proportional to the degree of generic nature of the underlying scripts – and if your scripts are too specific, you will have to create everything from scratch for every new project (instead of having a fairly readymade template). Avoid using the same set of interfaces for all classes though – since that can cause serious code maintenance problems. Reusing codes as much as possible also minimizes the potential issue of code duplication.
  • Messing up the project scale – Irrespective of whether a Unity game developer is working with PhysX or Box2D, (s)he simply cannot afford to gloss over the issue of project scaling. Before importing them, the size of each object has to be checked – and the developer must do the resizing for the objects which are not in the correct scale (note: size is measured in meters). Do not make the mistake of using too much gravity to show falling objects either. That will only end up making your game more cartoony and less life-like.
  • Overlooking Garbage Collection problems – We have already briefly touched upon how the Unity Profiler can handle Garbage Collection (GC) requirements. There are other ways to handle GC efficiently too. For example, developers should enable/disable objects after declaring them at the start, instead of repeatedly instantiating and destroying them. Garbage Collection can also be invoked by calling a set of Components (by GetComponents). The GC will start when this set of collections is no longer required.

Note: Shaky, unstable frame rates – particularly visible in the mobile build of a game project – is a sign that there are problems in the GC method being used.

  • Spelling errors in Unity methods – Another common beginner’s mistake. If any of the methods called in Unity (including Start or Update) is not spelled correctly, the entire code is likely to become unresponsive. This ‘freeze’ can also happen if the GameObject has not been correctly attached to MonoBehaviour. For bringing MonoBehaviour on the GameObject, the names of the concerned file and class have to be the same.

The SendMessage function in Unity, while useful, is rather slow and can be unpredictable while generating new scripts. Game developers should stay away from making their projects too reliant on this function. Also, components should be included as their actual type in GetComponent, and not as strings (both options are available, but the former allows fast spelling error detection during compilation). Using prefab references instead of simply calling the name of the prefab is also advisable.

This is, obviously, not an exhaustive set of problems that a mobile game developer can run into, while working with Unity2D/3D. When any error message flashes, check the line that has the error (and the line before it) very carefully. You can also look for help online, either in the many Unity forums, or by simply searching with the error message – along with a keyword (say, Unity or JavaScript or C#) on Google. Making Unity games is fun and is certainly not hugely difficult…all that you have to do is keep an eye out for, and avoid these mistakes!

Apple WWDC 2016: Top 14 Announcements At The Keynote

Highlights from Apple WWDC 2016

 

It’s over. While this year’s World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) will continue till the 17th of June in San Francisco (Moscone West), the keynote is done and dusted – and we have plenty to talk about the latest ‘new’ stuff from Apple. Many software experts and mobile app developers have dubbed WWDC 2016 as an ‘increments’ event – considering the updates that Apple have come up with, for iOS, OS X (it’s no longer called that, but more on this later), watchOS and tvOS. Here’s a recap of all the key takeaways from this year’s Apple WWDC event:

  1. watchOS 3 – For some time now, Apple Watch has been struggling. User interest levels have fallen off after the initial hype, and a recent report found that app developers were more interested in making software for tvOS rather than on watchOS (iOS is, of course, by far the chosen platform). The wearable should, however receive a boost with the launch of watchOS 3 – which was announced at the WWDC keynote. As was widely expected, a fairly large number of new watch faces have been released, while users are going to get an interesting safety SOS feature in the new watchOS iteration. Those who make apps for Apple Watch have also been delighted by the fact that the loading speed of applications on watchOS 3 will be much higher (up to 7 times faster). The Find My Friends and the Reminders apps will be present too.

Note: watchOS 3 will have a new texting system called ‘Scribble’.

     2. Apple Pay on Safari – Tim Cook and his team are focused on taking contactless payments technology to the next level. Apple Pay is now usable on the web via the Safari browser – with secure TouchID authentication support (through Apple Watch or iPhone). The NFC-powered Apple Pay will be rolled out to three new markets – Hong Kong, Switzerland and France – by the end of this year.

     3. OS X is now macOS – This had been predicted by Apple app developers and analysts worldwide, from months before the 2016 WWDC. The desktop operating system has been rebranded as macOS, with the upcoming version being named Sierra. Arrival of Universal Clipboard is one of the high points in macOS Sierra (for Continuity across more than one Mac system). Apart from mirroring a desktop on multiple systems, people can play a video file on top of their active windows. Users also have the option of unlocking their computers with their iPhones or Apple Watch – thanks to the new ‘Auto Unlock’ feature.

    4. iOS 10 – If stability was the prime area of focus when iOS 9 was released, the tenth iteration of Apple’s mobile platform has several new things – from the faster, revamped lockscreen and improvements to Siri, to an all-new ‘Raise To Wake’ capability (remember how Moto X used to do this for glanceable notifications?). iPhone app developers will be, for the first time, able to use a SDK to integrate their applications with Siri. iOS 10 will come with a fair few customizable home screen widgets too. Users can delete certain pre-installed apps as well (e.g., Stocks).

Note: Game Center in iOS (which arrived in 2010) will make way for the new GameKit platform in iOS 10.

  1. Siri arrives on Mac – With Google Now for Android getting consistently better and Microsoft getting good traction with Cortana (on Windows 10) – it’s not surprising that Apple would also spend time and resources to improve the usability and availability of Siri. At WWDC 2016, Craig Federighi showcased how the virtual digital assistant will be workable on the macOS platform. With this, Siri will, from now on, be available on all Apple devices. This would bolster the continuity factor further.
  2. tvOS 10 – Nothing as game-changing as OS X 10.12/macOS Sierra or watchOS 3 here – but even so, the latest version of the tvOS platform has quite a few noteworthy new features. There is a custom Dark Mode that should add to the convenience of users, while the Remote app has been redesigned to look and function just like Siri Remote. On Apple TV 4 upgraded to tvOS 10, Siri can search for YouTube videos, movies on Netflix and iTunes and quite a few other service providers. Apple also announced a new collaboration with Sling TV from Dish at the WWDC keynote session. There will be a single cable sign-on option, and users will be able to access 1300+ video channels on TV.

Note: The total number of apps for tvOS has also breached the 6000 mark.

  1. Redesigned Apple Music – Experts from the field of iOS app development have hailed the improvements/new features in Apple Music as well and truly ground-breaking. For starters, there is a ‘discovery mix’ – that allows listeners to customize their own playlists (this might be a sign that Apple Music will be coming on Spotify – its foremost rival – soon). Apart from the daily curated lists, the Apple Music will also have separate categories for recently added files and  general downloaded music. At the event, Eddy Cue showcased a new ‘lyrics tab’ as well. It sure seems like that the Apple Music vs Spotify tussle is going to heat up further!
  2. Swift Playgrounds app on iPad – This one is a piece of great news for all the new iOS app developers who wish to learn to code with Swift. On iPads running on iOS 10, users will be able to access a vast range of interactive sessions and tutorials on Swift programming, through the dedicated Swift Playgrounds application. Interestingly, the primary target audience for this free iPad tool is kids and teens. Apple evidently wants programmers to get into its development ecosystem from an early stage.
  3. Improved Messages – With the new iMessage, Apple seems all set to get into the war of the chat tools (Facebook is the biggest player here) in the big way. With new emojis – which can be 3 times larger on transcribed messages – and the option to write with own handwriting, the Messages app has become livelier than ever before. Font sizes of messages can be adjusted, photos can be shared seamlessly via the new ‘live camera feed’, and songs/tunes (from Apple Music) can be shared as well. In addition to several animations (e.g., confetti and strobe lights), there will an option to conceal messages with…hold your breath…invisible ink!
  4. Siri for third-party apps – By now, you must have got an idea that Siri enhancements played a major part during the announcements at the WWDC keynote this year. The virtual assistant can now work with third-party applications like Pinterest and Uber (for image search and calling cabs respectively). WeChat messages can also be sent through the new and improved Siri. Activity apps can be monitored with the ‘finally useful’ Apple assistant as well.
  5. Apple Maps makeover – Easier navigation is clearly the most apparent feature of the revamped Apple Maps announced at WWDC 2016. General Apple enthusiasts as well as app development experts have only good things to say about the options to hire rides (payable through Apple Pay) and booking restaurant tables – directly from Apple Maps. High precision Maps will also be a great help on CarPlay – with alternative route suggestions and updated traffic information. It’s still not as efficient or accurate as Google Maps, but Apple is certainly getting there.
  6. Voicemail transcriptions and more on iPhone – Tired of those spam calls? With iOS 10, users can view caller IDs on the lockscreen itself (with the help of the embedded VoIP), and get spam call alerts even before picking up. What’s more, all voicemails can now be automatically transcribed and displayed as text messages. Communication just got a whole lot simpler, and spam threats have been minimized.
  7. QuickType for predictive typing – QuickType is in-built within the latest avatar of Siri – and it takes up the ease of predictive keyboard typing by a couple of notches. Third-party mobile app companies can take advantage of the improved AI (artificial intelligence) to help people find movies or eating joints through their applications. Location-sharing will be possible in Messages, while the predictive typing will help in framing message responses as well. The new intelligent typing mechanism should make the upcoming flagship iPhones just that bit more user-friendly.
  8. Apple News gets an overhaul – The layout of the popular Apple News tool has been tweaked around as well. As displayed at WWDC 2016, the new-look Apple News will have neatly streamlined, separate sections for ‘Trending’, ‘Sports’ and ‘Top News’. A new editor-picked ‘Featured Section’ will also be included, along with a notifications system for real-time breaking news. Readers can also sign up for subscriptions of magazines and newspapers.

Note: The current number of regular Apple News readers is in excess of 60 million.

The Photos app also has been updated with a slew of new features (the option of creating montages with Memories, for instance). On the Internet of Things (IoT) front, HomeKit has received a new Home application – providing more control to users. All the incremental versions of Apple platforms will have their beta releases soon, with the final launch coming this fall. Incidentally, it was reported that the Apple App Store has 2 million applications at present.

Interestingly, the share prices did not show much movement on the day of the WWDC keynote (it dropped by around 1.5% before the event started, and pretty much stayed there right through). Even so, there was no dearth of exciting news at the annual Apple developers conference – with the Cupertino tech giant sticking to (like it generally does every year) the software side at the WWDC. The event definitely lived up to its billing as the biggest tech conference of the year.

 

 

AppBoard Tuesday – The Recipe For Making Highly Addictive Mobile Games

For a couple of days last week, the internet connection at our office was – let’s put it this way – rather shaky. Things were slow, and whenever the net was taking one of its (frustratingly frequent!) breathers, most of our in-house developers and testers got busy with their phones – catching up with the next level of jelly-blasting games, or word-search, or endless running games, and the like. That’s when it occurred to us – how about using this week’s AppBoard Tuesday (ABT) to highlight some tips and pointers for making really addictive mobile games? Here are the things we consider to be the most important:

  1. Keep the gameplay simple – The good ol’ KISS principle. Going back to our office example again – we were playing games only during intermittent periods, when we could not work. Similarly, most people love to use gaming apps to ‘spend’ the time (not ‘waste’ the time, mind you!) during short journeys, while they are idle, or some such relatively small time-spans. A nicely designed, easy-to-play game would fit this bill nicely. A highly complicated game has every chance of being viewed as ‘too tough’, and hence, abandoned.
  2. Go for an intuitive gameplay – An extension of the previous point. Yes, all popular iPhone and Android game apps have a dedicated ‘Instructions’/ ‘How To Play’ screens – but let’s be honest here, do we ever really bother to read through what’s written on those screens? It would be a folly to assume that general people (whose attention span is already low when it comes to interacting with their mobile devices) would take time out to ‘learn’ how to play your game first. The gameplay needs to be intuitive – one glance at the game screen should be self-explanatory.
  3. Include a ‘hook’ in your game – To be addictive, a mobile game has to get its audience hooked. iOS and Android game developers can increase the chances for this, by making their apps relatable to the actual users, in one way or the other. Triggering an emotional response – excitement or stress or frustration – is a great way of having smartphone-users try the same game over and over again.
  4. The player should always be in control – This an absolute must. It’s built into our human psyche that we love to be in charge of whatever we do – and this extends to playing mobile games as well. In fact, this is one of the reasons behind the huge popularity of first-person shooter games (“I see. I shoot. I win.”). Game-makers have to include as much personalization options as possible in their software. The more ‘free’ a person will feel while playing a game, the more (s)he will get attached to it.
  5. Consider device compatibility – The conventional top-down approach (idea first, device-considerations later) of mobile app development does not work well, when it comes to making games. Instead, developers need to first consider the devices a new game would be compatible with, and how the latter will be able to use the hardware resources of the handset optimally (the camera, the keyboard, wi-fi connectivity, GPS, etc.). It’s important to give customers a ‘unique’ experience – and it has to be remembered that a mobile game should never be just an extension of a desktop game.

Note: iOS game developers have an advantage here over their Android counterparts. They need to consider only the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch (yes, backward compatibility of iOS versions is a factor). Android developers, on the other hand, have to test their games on thousands of devices from different vendors.

  1. Increase the difficulty. But gradually. – Start things off with ridiculously easy levels/modes in your games. Make sure that no one – not even a kid – has any difficulty in understanding what the game is all about. And then, as players become familiar with your game – start making each level slightly trickier than the previous one (never bump up the game difficulty too much at one go…that will cause many users to lose interest). The gradually increasing difficulty would be viewed as an enjoyable challenge.
  2. Get those competitive juices flowing – Forget mobile games – people play any game for one purpose…to win. As a game developer working on the iOS/Android platform, the onus is on you to challenge the users at every step. Make them play against a countdown timer, towards a ‘not-that-easy’ deadline and/or give them a limited number of tries/moves (Candy Crush Saga is a game that does this brilliantly). Make people want to win…that’s the only way they will keep coming back to your game.

Note: This also boosts up the ‘replay value’ of a mobile game. Without it, users might just grow disinterested after a while.

  1. Give rewards – Not monetary ones, obviously. However, there should be the option of ‘earning’ extra coins, stars, points, lives – and stuff like these – for players who manage to register good performances on your game. Many games have their higher levels locked to start with – and players can unlock them only by accumulating rewards from the lower levels. That there is a reward waiting at the end of a game level should always be at the back of a player’s mind. It works as a great source of ‘positive feedback’ and an incentive for ‘doing it again’.
  2. Stability and reliability – Something that every good mobile app, and not just games, should have. Take a tour through the many unsuccessful mobile games in iTunes, and more importantly, at the Google Play Store. You will see a similar problem – they are either laggy and/or crash often, and/or has other usability problems. Imagine the chagrin of a kid playing, say, Subway Surfers, having collected a million points – and then, poof! The app crashes, and the hard-earned progress is lost. Not a nice feeling, right? (that’s precisely why reports of crashes in Subway Surfers are practically unheard of). Test your games well before releasing, and make sure that players can save their progress on the game at any time easily. In case a user changes his handset or the game app gets deleted accidentally – there should be no problems in recovering it either.
  3. Repetitive is good. Notifications are important – Successful mobile games are, more often than not, repetitive. They compel users do the same tasks/gestures/actions over and over again (consider 2048 and its many variants, for example) – and while looking to catch up on a quick break with their smartphones, people tend to look for precisely such simple, repetitive games. Experts from the field of Android and iPhone game development also advise the inclusion of a proper notifications system in mobile gaming software. This helps in reminding people about the game (numerous apps jostle for space on an average user’s smartphone) – and prompt repeat visits. Avoid making the notifications annoying/too frequent though. You do not want to end up disturbing the users!
  4. Remember the splash screen – A book should not be judged by its cover and a mobile game should not be judged by its splash screen – but even so, this factor is vital. After all, the splash screen is the first point of interaction between the user and your game…and it needs to leave a favourable impression on him/her. The splash screens should not hang around for too long (a maximum of ten seconds maybe), and app developers often add a subtle dynamic touch to it (e.g., adding a ‘Loading’ progress bar). The initial onboarding should be smooth, prompt and likeable. Otherwise, even a great game can suffer.
  5. Provide a ‘social’ experience – A mobile game should ideally have powerful social integration features. This is all the more important for Android/iOS multiplayer games. People should have the option to invite their friends on Facebook to the game, challenge them, and enjoy the social gaming fun. What’s more, seamless FB and Twitter connectivity also allows players to share their high scores and achievements in mobile games. How many times have you seen updates from your friends on Facebook, about how they are progressing on Criminal Case?
  6. Never force in-app purchases on users – It would be absolutely great if your audience actually spends money to buy stuff (coins, characters, boosts, etc) via in-app purchases – but you should never force them on users. Many shady mobile app companies make certain levels/stages of their games practically unsolvable without taking the help of in-app purchases. That, in turn, has the counter-effect of gradually alienating people from the concerned games. In-app purchases (IAP) are, of course, one of the best ways of monetizing free games and apps…just make sure that they do not HAVE TO BE USED by gamers.

Note: Worry not, hardcore gamers will naturally purchase stuff from your game (iPhone users are more likely to spend money on apps). You do not have to be overly pushy about it.

        14. Include patterns in the gameplay – Remember what we said about the importance of a good mobile game being, in essence, repetitive? In addition to that, games should also include a definite pattern in them (take the example of the many ‘connect the dots’ games). The challenge of identifying and following patterns naturally excites the human brain. Ask yourself: ain’t the prospect of arranging a haphazardly laid out jigsaw puzzle board appealing?

More than anything else, mobile game developers have to ensure that the fun-element associated with playing their gaming apps is considerable. Whenever possible, players should be able to show off their creative side. For strategy games in particular, the game environment, characters and assets should be fairly life-like. With excellent game engines like Unity3D and Unreal Engine, this is hardly difficult. Making addictive games is no rocket science – all that app makers have to do is follow these simple tips.

This then brings us to the end of yet another addition of AppBoard Tuesday. Do write in to us about your opinions on addictive games. Also, let us know which mobile game you find to be the most enjoyable.

Another interesting topic related to app development will be waiting for you in the next ABT. Till that time…love thy apps!

One Year On: How Is Apple Watch Doing In Terms Of Sales?

Analyzing Apple Watch performance one year after launch

 

 

Thirteen months and counting. That’s how long Apple Watch – the first wearable device from the Cupertino tech giant – has been with us. Although official sales figures for Watch have not been revealed, it is a known fact that the shipments of the device were off to a super-strong start last April. How has the sales trends, figures and forecasts for Apple Watch been since then? Let’s take a look:

  1. Immense initial hype – And that worked big-time in favour of Apple Watch. Reports from iOS app development forums and channels reveal that nearly 12 million units of the smartwatch were sold last year – approximately two times the 6 million-sales of the first-generation iPhone in 2007. However, the fact that iPhone took its own time to ‘change the way smartphones are used’ should also be factored in, to get a proper perspective. In comparison, Watch already had eager early adopters waiting for it.
  2. Slackening demand – As the early blitzkrieg wore off, the mixed reviews about Apple Watch started to affect its hitherto rampaging sales. A senior analyst from Pacific Crest Securities lowered his sales projections by 4.5% in 2015 (from 11 million to 10.5 million). For 2016, his estimates are even more grim. Around 21 million units of Watch are expected to be shipped this year – 12.5% less than the initially projected sales volume (~24 million).
  3. Per-day sales – Another metric that should have Apple sit up and take notice is the rapidly declining per-day sales figures of the smartwatch. Last April, around 200000 units were purchased in a single day (during the April 10 week). From those heady figures, the sales figures have plummeted to an average of 18000 to 20000 per day (with disappointing days registering 5000 to 10000 sales not being uncommon). Overall, the per-day sales have fallen by over 90% since April 2015 – an alarming decline.
  4. Poor app performance and over-dependence on iPhone has hurt – The lofty price figure of Apple Watch is a big barrier for the average buyer – but even those who can and have afforded the device have not been entirely satisfied. One of the biggest complaints about Watch has been its extremely laggy processor speed app performance. Without a paired iPhone, the Watch isn’t of much use – and that has also come in for some flak. Even after a year, the perception about Apple Watch is that it is an ‘expensive notifications device’, with unsatisfactory app performance. Hopefully, those who make apps for Apple Watch will come up with better native apps (mandatory from June 1) for the smartwatch.
  5. Interest is dwindling – The falling demand levels of Apple Watch, understandably, stems from flagging interest about the smartwatch. Professional WatchKit app development experts have reported that the interest in Apple Watch is only about one-fifths of what it was for the iPhone in 2007. At present, going by search volume data (from Google Trends), the interest level in Apple Watch is lower than the iPod. The launch of Apple Watch 2 later this year will boost the interest levels for sure – but it remains to be seen whether the interest sustains over time.

Note: Traditionally, Apple does not do any major overhaul in the form factors of consecutive versions of its devices. As such, Apple Watch 2 is likely to be just an S-styled upgrade (like the ones iPhones get). Will that be enough to get prospective buyers hooked?

  1. Not the leader in the wearables market – Far from it. At the end of 2015, Apple Watch managed to take up just a tick under 15% market share – a long way off the 21% share that Fitbit enjoys. Interestingly, the year-end market share of Watch was lower than even that of Xiaomi. Given that both Fitbit smartwatches as well as Xiaomi is significantly cheaper than Apple Watch, this is not much of a surprise. What’s also noteworthy is, the cheapest version of Watch (Watch Sport, at $349) has the maximum demand, while the more premium models have fewer takers.
  2. Made a mark in the luxury watch market – Not all is doom and gloom for the first-generation Apple Watch. It might not have been a game-changer like iPhone – but it has definitely created a splash in the luxury markets sector. Market analysts and mobile app developers reported that Watch pulled in $6 billion in sales revenue in 2015 – a whopping $1.5 billion more than what Rolex managed to do during the year. In fact, the first-year revenue figure of Apple Watch was around 30% of the total revenue from the collective sales of leading Swiss watch brands in 2015.
  3. Slash in price did not translate to increased sales – The entry level price for Apple Watch Sport was slashed by $50 at this year’s March 21 event (where the iPhone SE and the 9.7” iPad Pro were launched). That, however, did not lead to a spike in Watch sales – as many iPhone app developers had expected. On the contrary, a recent ITG Investment Research report showed that sales of Apple Watch plunged by around 40% in the 2nd fiscal of 2016. A definite indication that the novelty factor of the smartwatch is well and truly gone.
  4. Steadily dropping global market share – In 2016 Q1, Apple Watch had a 52% share in the worldwide smartwatch market. While not a poor performance in any stretch of the imagination, the fact remains that this figure is almost 11% lower than that in the previous quarter (~63%). The figures from last quarter, in turn, were down from the 75% market share reported in 2015 Q2. At a time when total shipments is rising rapidly (the increase was almost 225% in the first quarter of 2016), Apple Watch is going backwards.

Note: Some of the dropping sales can be attributed to the fact that many people are actually waiting for Apple Watch 2 to arrive this fall. Instead of spending money on the ‘older’ and the ‘laggy’ first-gen device, they would prefer getting the new and improved model.

        10. Customers remain undecided – KGI has also estimated the shipments of Apple Watch, and its report makes for dull reading too. The sales are likely to be around 3 million units lower this year – a remarkable stat, considering that the smartwatch had only about 8 months in 2015, and will get the entire year in 2016. In a recent survey (sample: 2500 respondents), only 47% opined that Apple Watch is a ‘successful’ product. Interestingly though, nearly 78% of existing Apple Watch-users were satisfied with the gadget, and most of them were planning to upgrade to Apple Watch 2.

        11. The price factor – As none other than Steve Wozniak pointed out at a Reddit session, the price difference between a lower-end and a higher-end Watch model is around $500 – and all that the more expensive models have are extra bands. However stylish and attractive these Watch bands might be, they cannot really justify the huge gulf in the pricing points. Apple Watch has become more of a player in the jewelry market, and not many people are bothering to buy the more pricey models.

         12. Troubles ahead? – Right at this point in time, market forecasters and mobile app developers feel that Apple does not have to be too worried about the shaky performance of its smartwatch so far. After all, the iPhone is still the single biggest money-earner for the company – contributing around 68% of the total revenue of the company in 2016 Q1. However, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus have performed weakly in comparison with the record-breaking iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. iPhone 5S, a 2-year old flagship, is still going strong. With iPad sales remaining flat and Apple Watch struggling – there might be problems as the iPhone market moves towards saturation.

Note: Of course, iPhone 7 might turn out to be super-successful, and Apple Watch 2 (free from its over-reliance on iPhone) can get the company moving forward in the smartwatch market.

It would be unfair to brand Apple Watch as a flop already. Yes, the smartwatch has run into problems after the first few weeks’ impressive sales – but it still remains a strong enough player in the domain of wearable technology. If the existing processor lags and battery problems (along with a bump in the quality of Watch applications) are resolved in the upcoming Watch 2, things can once again start looking up for the Apple smartwatch.

 

 

AppBoard Tuesday – Top 12 Differences Between iOS And Android App Development

Differences between making apps for iOS and Android platforms

 

Last weekend, we had the latest edition of friendly banter between our Android and iOS app developers. Both sets were eager to prove the superiority of one of the platforms over the other. During the (fairly friendly!) debates, a number of interesting trends and figures came to light. For starters, it was highlighted that the total count of Android applications in Google Play Store had touched the 2 million mark (in February this year). A report from AppAnnie also showed that Google had a big lead over iOS in terms of app downloads as well (~200 million vs ~100 million) in 2015. The Apple app makers, on their part, were quick to point out that iOS was without any doubt – the higher ‘revenue-making platform’ for developers. In this week’s AppBoard Tuesday, we will continue with the iOS vs Android developers’ fight, and will compare the two platforms on the following parameters:

  1. Bias among developers – It was present in the good ol’ days of 2008’s iPhone SDK, and it is present now. Most Apple app developers take considerable pride in the fact that they work on the iOS platform – and, given a choice, they could not be bothered about creating apps/games for any other platform. The fact some of the best iPhone apps do not have an Android version goes to prove this. On the other hand, Google Android, with its Java development kit, brings down the entry barriers for cross-platform app developers (unlike working with Cocoa Touch on iOS). While iOS developers are more concerned with design excellence and the end-user experience, the average Android developer is more into making the best use of the available server-side tools.
  2. Time to code apps – Think that iOS and Android app development requires the same time-frame? Well, think again! A recent Infinum report (with 6 projects) showed that, on average, making apps for the Android platform took 28% to 30% longer than making the same applications on iOS. The difference in time is, roughly, inversely proportional to the number of lines of coding required in each project. iPhone app-making is, based on this study, quicker. Significantly so.

Note: The report factors out the probable differences in the quality/expertise of the developers involved. Hence, that does not affect the final results.

  1. Battle of the IDEs – Xcode (latest release: Xcode 7.3.1) is the default integrated development environment (IDE) for iOS, while Android app developers work with either Eclipse (latest release: Eclipse 4.5.2) or Android Studio (latest release: v. 2.1.1). It would be an exercise in futility to even do a Xcode vs Eclipse comparison – given how clunky, slow and often counterintuitive the latter is (comparatively speaking), both at the time of coding as well as debugging. With Android Studio, things have got a lot closer – but Xcode still holds the edge, regarding speed and performance.
  2. How much to code? – With Java being the go-to language for Android applications and Objective-C/Swift being the ‘language of iOS’ – you would expect that Android developers have to actually write more code (after all, Java is a way more ‘verbose’ programming language than Obj-C). However, we were slightly taken aback when Infinum reported that this difference is around 40% (a lower figure was expected), with 1 of the 6 projects involving nearly 190% more coding on the Android platform. So what’s the takeaway here? Android apps take longer to be built and involves more coding – developers have to be engaged for longer, and hence, when you hire Android developers for a full-blown project, you might have to pay more.
  3. Looking beyond the revenues – iOS applications, on average, bring in around 75% more moolah than Android apps (that was the revenue gap between the two platforms this January). But, to get a proper perspective – we need to dig a little deeper. For starters, the average iPhone and iPad user is more likely to actually spend on mobile apps, than users of Android devices. This, in turn, explains the presence of many more free apps in Google Play Store (compared to Apple App Store). On the iOS platform, paid apps are likely to find more takers – and developers are actually committed to make really good applications. Over at Android, free apps are more…and like it or hate it, that additional bit of monetary motivation – particularly for Android developers – is lacking.

Note: Yet another big problem related to this is the issue of piracy on the Android platform. Users have lots of options for ‘sideloading’ the APK of third-party apps on their Android devices (i.e., downloading them from sources other than Google Play Store). That hurts the download and revenue figures as well.

  1. Fragmentation – In early-2016, a report found that there were close to 20000 different models of Android phones – manufactured by different vendors, each keen to put their own spin on the plain-vanilla Android platform (oh well, you only get pure Android on the Google Nexus phones). On the other hand, iOS app developers need to worry about a dozen or so devices (even considering the backward compatibility of new applications). Now, each smart device – phone or tablet – differ in terms of screen size, pixel density, display resolution…and this makes the task of creating Android apps that would work optimally on ALL devices that much more challenging. It is very much probable that the user of a relatively obscure brand Android phone will discover an app, install it, find that it is not working properly, and leave an unfavourable review.

Note: The huge fragmentation of the Android platform makes life all the more difficult for mobile app testers. App companies also have to spend more to buy all the latest popular Android phones for testing their apps. For iOS, the latest flagship iPhone and the iPad (probably the iPod Touch as well) are enough for app testing.

  1. Simulators vs Emulators – Even when there are no other coding problems, the Android emulators take longer to perform the same task than the iOS simulators. That, in turn, stretches the overall app development life-cycle for Android applications (with the extra coding required already eating up more time). In particular, the ARM simulator is real slow – and it is often a source of concern for Android developers. With only a handful of devices to test for, Apple developers have it easy here.
  2. Size of apps – For the present-day smartphone user, this is, more often than not – an important factor. Few users are naive enough to hoard hundreds of apps on their devices, filling up their SD card storage space in the process. On iOS, the average size of an application is 23 MB – nearly 4 times the average Android app size (6 MB). iOS games tend to be ‘larger’ than Android games (60 MB vs 40 MB) as well. iDevice users have to be just that bit more circumspect about running out of memory space on their devices – if they are not careful enough.
  3. Use of XML while creating layouts – iOS developers also use XML while developing app layouts – but it is next to nothing when compared to the usage of XML in the Android app layouts. This leads to ‘what-you-see-is what-you-get’ (WYSIWYG) being lot more common on the Android platform than on iOS. An application that takes around 500 hours to build on the iOS platform would require almost 660 man-hours to be made on the Android platform.
  4. View Controllers and Android Activity – The APIs and software libraries available to Android and iPhone app developers are relatively similar, both qualitatively and in volume. With that being the case, we should turn our attention to the performance of the controllers on the two platforms – and once again, there isn’t much to choose between the View Controllers on iOS and the Android Activity tool. What does make a difference is the presence of the developer-friendly iOS Core Data Framework. The Android system does not have a similar tool.
  5. Device loyalty – Yep, that’s also a factor that app makers have to keep under consideration. iPhone-owners in general, ‘love their devices’ more than the users of Android phones (~65% satisfaction rate vs ~48% satisfaction rate). More interestingly, 8 out of 10 iPhone-users had already owned older iPhones – and hence, they are more or less familiar with most iOS applications. The ‘young billion’ (i.e., first-time iPhone buyers) population is smaller than the count of new Android adopters though – thanks to the large number of budget smartphones in the market. iPhone was, and will always be, a premium device.

Note: Hardly anyone would call the iPhone 5C or this year’s iPhone SE – relatively lower-priced models – a budget smartphone.

     12. Documentation and support resources – Both Android and iOS app developers have comprehensive documentation support – so nothing to really nitpick over here. Apple and Google do an excellent job of explaining all the app development tools and components, and there are plenty of sites (like StackOverflow or Reddit) where developers can pose their questions and get detailed answers. Getting help is easy.

Although the iOS platform promises higher revenues, it requires developers to cough up more money to get things started. The annual fee for an Apple Developer account is $99. Now, compare that with the cost of becoming an Android developer – a one-time fee of $25. Another factor that explains the presence of more paid apps in iTunes than in Play Store. Apple developers have to make up for the higher fees.

While the above points do put certain key differences between iOS and Android app development in focus, it would not be fair to call one of the platforms ‘better for developers’ than the other. From the revenue perspective, the ‘iOS-first’ strategy that many mobile app entrepreneurs take makes sense – while it is easier for new programmers to start out with Android apps. It all boils down to which platform a developer is more comfortable in working with.

And that, dear readers, brings us to the end of Ed. 53 of AppBoard Tuesday. If you have a say regarding today’s discussion topic, simply post a comment – our iOS/Android app makers will be more than happy to hear your opinions. Until the next time then…love thy apps!

Busted! Top 14 Myths About Smartphone Batteries

 

Myths about smartphone batteries

 

All the major smartphone companies try to pack in as many advanced features in their latest flagship models as possible – in a bid to go one up on their rivals. While this tussle spells great news for the average user, there is one common user-concern that neither Apple nor Android (in spite of the new ‘Low Battery Mode’ and the ‘Battery Saver Mode’ in their latest mobile platform iterations) have managed to resolve satisfactorily. That’s right, we are talking about the frequently reported problem of poor battery performance – of even the best smartphones in the market. Compounding the matter further are the various misleading myths about mobile batteries and charging methods that do the rounds. In what follows, we will cite some of these myths and have a look at the truth behind them:

 

“Charging the phone overnight has severe adverse effects on its battery”

 

This is only very partially true. Only if you use a smartphone case that does not allow the heat (generated while charging) to escape, can the handset get actually ‘overheated’ due to overnight charging. There IS, in theory, a slight ‘trickle charge’ when a phone is plugged in and has full charge (a small amount of charge decreases and is refilled constantly) – but that is, in no way, as problematic that it often is made out to be. The next time you hear about how your iPhone or Android phone can explode if you keep it charging through the night, just remember that you are no longer using the older Lithium ion batteries.

 

“Talking while charging? You will get a shock!”

 

As long as you are using the genuine phone charger or a similar one (and not a knocked-down, cheaper product), there is absolutely no need to worry about this. Of course, you need to make sure that there is no dampness in either the charger or the charging station (for instance, if you talk on your smartphone while having a shower, and the phone is plugged in – you are simply asking for trouble). Otherwise though, for a quick chat, using your handset while it is being charged is a safe option.

 

Note: Do keep in mind that, the more you use your phone while charging, the longer will it take for the mobile battery to get fully charged.

 

“Task Managers can help in improving battery performance”

 

Oh well, they can’t. According to expert software and mobile app developers – when you download and install external ‘app-killer applications’ – all that you do in essence is block some more memory on your handset. Both Android and iPhone handsets have the capability to use resources efficiently while managing app-usage in the background. Generally, app-data is cached – so that less time and memory/battery resources are required to launch them later on. If anything, when you kill apps prematurely (“Force Stop”), you disrupt the natural flow in which RAM resources are used. On both iOS and Android, a ‘more empty’ RAM does not mean a ‘more efficient’ phone battery.

 

“You should NEVER turn off your phone”

 

Just think from the poor smartphone’s perspective for once. You use it round the clock every day – talking, checking mails, sending messages, playing games, and what not. Shouldn’t you give it little breaks from time to time? The myth that mobile batteries get damaged when a handset is turned off does not have an iota of truth in it. Provided that you are only shutting down your phone for small periods at a time, and not for days on end (which will cause the battery to depreciate) – there should be no problems whatsoever.

 

“Using the screen auto-brightness feature is not a good idea”

 

On the contrary, the auto-brightness tweaks can really work well to give you some extra battery juice. In a recent test, it was found that when the screen brightness is reduced to the lowest possible level, the battery life of Android phones jumped by over 30%, and that of the iPhone 6S by a whopping 55%. Given that it is not always possible to keep the brightness levels so low (when the light around you is insufficient, for example), the auto-brightness feature is an excellent alternative. The screen brightness level will adjust automatically, and there will be no unnecessary wastage of battery.

 

“Battery should be at 0% before you charge your phone”

 

This is neither always possible, nor is it necessary. Unlike the old nickel cadmium batteries, Li-ion batteries can actually ‘remember’ how much the actual full-capacity level of the phone battery is. Also, the process of charging Li-ion batteries is completely different from that of nickel cadmium batteries. There is no need to discharge (use up, that is) the phone battery entirely – before you plug it to charge again. Ideally, your smartphone should always have 25%-40% charge.

Note: Li-ion battery usage takes place from one ‘cycle’ to the next. You can exhaust 50% of the charge on one day and 50% on the next – instead of having to finish off the entire 100% at one go. In essence, you can charge your smartphone whenever you want.

 

“You must always use the original charging cable. Third-party chargers are hazardous.”

 

This is true only if you use a cheaper replacement cable that uses substandard components and/or uses the wrong electrical charge (voltage or amperage). That is one of the main reasons why device testers and Android/iPhone developers advise users to stay away from the non-branded chargers that are available aplenty in the market. If the OEM charger has become unusable due to any reason and you need to use a third-party charger, make sure that you choose a branded charger that uses the correct power measurements. There won’t be problems.

 

“Using Mobile Web Causes The Most Battery Drain”

 

Yet another partial truth. When you use your mobile browser to access web pages in general (and not watch YouTube videos or use any streaming services), that does not accelerate the battery drainage of your phone in any way. In fact, playing mobile games (particularly, the ones with high-end graphics) causes battery drainage at a much faster rate. Professionals from the domain of mobile app development confirm that graphic engines are the worst offenders – as far as quickly eating away the battery life of mobiles is concerned. You can browse the web without any concerns – it’s only when you are gaming that you might have to reach for the charger soon!

 

“Bluetooth, Wifi and GPS? They are battery-killers.”

 

That’s taking things to the extreme. There used to be a time when Bluetooth technology drew a significant amount of power to function properly. On the latest iPhones and Android phone models though, the Bluetooth feature is a lot lightweight – and toggling it from ‘on’ to ‘off’ won’t cause any noticeable difference in the battery performance. The same goes for your phone’s wireless internet services, albeit with a slight qualification: you should not keep the wifi on at places where there is very weak or low signal – since battery will go down quickly when your phone constantly searches for available network(s) to join. For GPS-based location services, ensure that only the apps that require it are using it. Avoid keeping location services on for all applications, all the time.

 

“You must fully charge your phone before using it”

 

We have already highlighted how you do not have to get your smartphone battery to 0%, before plugging it on to charge. This is an extension of that point – where we debunk the myth that phones have to be fully charged before you start using them. Nearly all new smartphones are shipped at about 50% charge – and researches have revealed that most handsets function at the most optimal level when the charge is between 45% and 85%. Instead of ‘deep-charging’ your phone every time (0% to 100%), it is a much better idea to charge it at your convenience – irrespective of what the battery level at that point in time might be.

 

“Music streaming is a better option than downloading”

 

With the widespread concern over the battery life of smartphones, it is rather ironic that most users still prefer to stream music real-time on their phones (via Spotify or Apple Music). It is much more advisable to download the music first, from the same sources, and then listen to the audio files that are now stored in your device. The overall battery resources required will be way lesser, and you will enjoy music without any worries.

 

“Not using Siri and Google Now will improve battery life”

 

‘Hey Siri’ and ‘Google Now’ do take up some extra charge (on iPhones and Android phones respectively), but the amount is too small to make a difference on the overall battery performance of a device. A recent test conducted by Wirecutter and using the Nexus 6P and the iPhone 6S proves this. Developers, in general, advise against the use of Siri/Google Now only when the battery charge has already become very low. Otherwise, you can keep asking questions to your phone!

 

“Battery overheating problems? Keep the battery in the freezer”

 

Did not work in the early-90s, and will not work now either. Li-ion batteries are affected both by extreme cold and extreme heat, and putting them in a freezer will only cause further damages. If your phone battery is repeatedly getting heated up (even when you are not using the phone for long hours), you should get in touch with with a proper vendor – and get the necessary repairs/replacements done. Of course, most sophisticated smartphone models come with non-removable battery – so the question of pulling out the battery does not arise in the first place.

 

“The case should seal the phone from moisture”

 

This one is true (moisture does affect phone performance), but comes with a rather obvious connotation. If you select a phone case that practically seals off your device from all sides, the accumulated heat will not be able to escape – and that can lead to drainage of battery at higher-than-normal rates. Try to keep your phone in room temperature, away from moisture, and in an ‘open’ environment. The battery performance will be the best.

 

Android and iPhone app developers keep reiterating the importance of checking the battery usage lists on phones. With the help of these lists, users can easily track the amount of resources that is being consumed by each app, find whether there are any buggy applications, and get rid of them (if required). Yet another common myth about smartphone batteries is that, using wifi instead of mobile data all the time helps in saving battery resources (the difference, if at all, is only around 2%). It’s high time you stopped believing myths such as these…they do not help your smartphone to ‘last longer’ in any way!

 

 

AppBoard Tuesday – A Day In The Life Of An iPhone App Developer

Mobile app development is, at least from the outside, probably the most glam job in the IT industry at present. We are part of the 8.8 million worldwide developer community, we get to work on the latest Apple computers, we ‘speak’ (oh well, we type…but you get the point, right?) in popular programming languages, and we understand and apply cutting-edge mobile technology – to create applications of varied nature. What often goes unnoticed is the sheer amount of dedication, hard work and eye for detail (I was tempted to say blood, toil and tears…but that would have been stretching it!) with which we app-makers have to work, day in and day out. Last week, we interviewed 4 senior-level in-house iPhone app developers at Teksmobile – and on the basis of their responses, here is the detailed schedule of ‘just another day’ in the life of a developer working on the iOS platform:

(as told by the respondents)

6:30 – 7:30/ Morning jog and light exercise – I will be spending around 10-12 hours after this sitting in front of a Mac computer. It’s essential that my static state does not compromise my physical fitness in the long-run. I get out of home at 6:30 am sharp, go on a morning jog (tracksuits et al.), return home, head for the terrace, and do some freehand exercise. Helps me feel alive and awake, looking forward to yet another challenging day.

7:45 – 8:15/ Breakfast and the news – Whoever said that breakfast is the most important meal in the day could not have spoken a truer word. Shower over, I hit the breakfast table, with coffee, cornflakes and a poached egg (sunny side up!) waiting for me. During the meal, I read up the latest tech-news on my iPad Pro. I do glance over the newspaper later – but for a quick check of all the new stuff Apple keeps coming up with, the iPad news apps (I have 3 of them installed) yields more information…and quicker. Some chat with my family-members also happens (but of course!) while I am finishing up my breakfast.

9:00 – 9:15 /Entry at office – Yep, that’s the time window by which I always arrive at office. As a senior mobile app entrepreneur, I feel that being punctual is a part of my daily responsibilities (leading by example and all that). My colleagues start trooping in as well over the next 15-20 minutes. I use that time to glance over my email, reply to the urgent ones, and get rid of the scores of advertisements that arrive every day. Once my team members are all at office, it’s time for a small coffee session at the canteen.

(Note to self: Yep, that’s two times I have already had caffeine, and it’s not yet 9:30 am. I am not going to have another cuppa until it’s afternoon)

9:30 – 9:45/ Morning Scrum session – The ‘scrum-culture’, I feel, keeps our day-to-day tasks really organized. I head to the conference room along with the other iPhone app makers, where we mention the project(s) we will be working on during the day, the progress already made on them, and the milestone(s) we expect to reach by EOD (end of day, in case you did not get that). I can already see the Android app development team clamoring outside – once we are done, they will be having their scrum right here (their time is 9:45 – 10:00).

10:00 – 10:30/ Mail again – This time, I look for one type of emails – the type whose subject is “Your application is ready for sale”! I mean, I have been in the mobile app development industry for close to a decade – and even now, I get butterflies in my stomach when a new iOS app goes ‘Under Review’. It’s a good thing that the Apple has shortened the app review times to 1-2 days (on average). I have to ‘worry’ for a much shorter time-frame!

Note: If a new app or an app update indeed gets approved, I pass on the news to my colleagues. A round of high-fives and hooting follows – after which, it’s back to work.

10:45 – 10:50/ Plug on the music – I don’t know about others – but I do get royally upset by distractions while doing the coding for apps (it’s not an easy task folks, and a ‘small’ error can necessitate an additional couple of hours of app testing and debugging). I rummage my bag for the good ol’ iPod Touch – select ‘Vangelis – Conquest of Paradise’ from the playlist, and put in the earplugs. That’s it – the noises of the outside world have been drowned out, and I can proceed peacefully.

11:00 – 12:30/ Coding. Coding. Coding – The first half of the day is, without a shadow of a doubt, my favourite for doing the bulk of the required coding. I write in Objective-C or Swift – depending on the requirements of the app project on hand. I get a real kick out of coding the actual user-interface of new applications. The database and the backend support are all very important, but unless the UI is properly optimized – my app is not gonna work. There…that’s my extra motivation for coding the user interface well.

12:45 – 13:00/ Learning the new APIs – I try to keep the 15-minute pre-lunch period aside for checking out the new APIs included in the latest version of the iOS platform. In addition, I try to learn as much as I can about developing apps for Apple Watch and Apple TV (the latter is not really required at the moment for me…but a li’l bit of extra knowledge never hurt anyone). If nothing urgent crops up at this time, I head for the pantry with my tiffin-carrier. A good half-day’s work done…and I deserve a mini, self-served treat!

13:00 – 13:30/ Lunch – Not too light, lest I feel peckish too soon afterwards. Not too heavy, for heavy midday meals make me sleepy. The tiffin I carry from home feels just right. On certain days, I order something extra from the pantry as well.

13:30 – 14:00/ Checking out iOS discussion forums – I am sure that many other iPhone app development experts love the StackOverflow site, just like I do. After lunch, I get back to my workstation, and randomly browse through the iOS development-related questions posted on SO, check out the answers, post a couple of answers (if my knowledge allows me to do so!), and maybe seek out help on topics that I get stuck with. I also go through all the Apple-related subreddits. There’s a lot of information on the web – it’s up to us developers to make use of it.

14:15 – 15:30/ Client meetings, Skype calls – On most days, online meetings with clients are scheduled during this time-interval. I consider that working closely WITH the client is vital for any app developer – and it’s important that the developer and the client are on the same page, when an application is being developed. I head with my laptop to one of the 3 conference rooms, sign in on my Skype account – and lo & behold(!) – the client is already waiting for me. I share preliminary wireframes and mockups, note down the client’s feedback on the same, and exchange ideas about the next stage of making the concerned application. If (s)he has any particular queries, I resolve them during this time. A happy client is a relieved me!

(Rinse and repeat this…if there are meetings scheduled with more than one client on a day).

15:45 – 16:00/ Ranking checks –  I keep this 15/20-minute slot aside for two things primarily – a) to check my apps’ rankings on a tool like AppViz and b) to upload binaries. On most days, the sales projections of the applications are steady and there are no problems with the binary upload. However, there are the occasions when nothing seems to be going right. The sales of a couple of apps take a nosedive, the binary has a bug – and I have to put in that extra effort to set things right once again.

16:00 – 16:15/ Coffee – It’s time for the afternoon beverage, and I prefer taking it at my workstation. I check my personal mail and Facebook within this time (a brief period of indulging myself), make a couple of calls, and reply to messages. A bit of no-harms-meant leg-pulling also takes place on the office floor. Mobile app developers should not become the archetypical nerdy geeks – they should know how to laugh as well!

(Note: I hardly ever log on to FB or my personal email account at any other time during the day. I feel it’s a distraction (albeit a necessary one) – and a brief afternoon slot for them is more than enough)

16:30 – 17:30/ Some coding. More of troubleshooting – If I am lucky enough, my builds pass the scrutiny of the app testers at one go. On most days though, I am not that lucky – with reports of the build not working on either a certain device, or on older iPhones coming in. Initial builds, understandably, can crash quite a bit too. Time for rectifying these errors…it’s not always as straightforward as it sounds.

17:45 – 18:30/ App store research – This is something I do every day. I head to the Apple App Store, browse through all categories of applications, download a few that actually catch my fancy, and check out how they work. The developers’ perspective fascinate me, and I try to guess the answers to questions like “Why would anyone need this app?” or “What was the developer thinking when he included this feature?” This research gives me a sort of insight…and on occasions, fresh app ideas. If I feel that we can make an improved version of an existing app, I immediately float the idea among my colleagues.

(Note: I check out the worst-performing apps at the store too, the so-called ‘zombie applications’. I note down the probable reasons behind their failure. This is like creating a reference point of mistakes that my team MUST NOT make while working on new app projects).

18:30 – 18:45/ Evening Scrum session – Time to be accountable. On certain days, I take the day-end scrum, noting down the things that the other iOS app developers have done during the day. Daily targets are, more often than not, met by everyone. If there’s any issue over a project, I talk it over with the developer(s) working on it.

18:50 – 19:00/ Sticky Notes everywhere – I do this ‘note-to-self’ thingy before I leave every day. I take stock of the pending work, prioritize the different tasks, write them out on sticky notes, and paste them just above my Mac computer. That way, I can start working as soon as I arrive at office the next day – instead of wasting maybe a half hour, mapping out the things I have to do.

19:00 – 19:15/ Done for the day – On four days of the week (and if there is no emergency work), I head for home at this time. During my ride home, I need to completely unwind from the day’s work, forget about programming and clients and meetings for some time, and…just do something else. I either read a book or play mobile games till I reach my abode.

And on the other day… – We have our weekly iOS development training sessions. As senior developers, the onus is on us to bring the newbies up to scratch, regarding the nitty-gritty of mobile app development. I conduct one of these sessions every month – and I always try to drive home the fact that, the mobile apps we make should always be about the end-user. At the end of the day, good user-experience earns five-star app reviews. Lots of high-end, complicated coding might be useless if an application is not user-friendly.

Okay then, I have reached home. Time for a nice, relaxing shower – followed by a snack and maybe some TV. Before dinner, I quickly get on the internet to read up the day’s news (and sports scores, and travel tips!). By 11pm, I usually drift off to sleep…unless, of course, it’s the weekend. Another long day awaits me tomorrow.

This might seem a fair lot of hard work…but that’s the thing about the work-culture at Teks. We take pride in making good apps, and we really love the concept of app development in general (and you know that quote about how if you love the thing you do, you won’t have to WORK for a single day in your life). A typical working day at Teks just breezes through – with lots of hard, smart, productive work, the occasional ripples of laughter, and a few meetings. Making mobile apps is a glam job, but it’s also interesting, and fun, and has loads of learning opportunities. It’s a good life!

With that, let’s wrap up this week’s edition of AppBoard Tuesday (ABT). Do write in if you want to share your experience as an app developer…and let’s see whether your schedule matches with that of our iPhone developers. We will be back next week with another engaging app-related topic. Till that time…love thy apps!

Unreal Engine 4 vs Unity 5: Which Game Engine Is Better?

Comparison of Unreal Engine 4 and Unity 5

 

March was an exciting month for game developers. The latest version of Unreal Engine – UE 4.11 – was released on the 15th, only to be followed by the launch of Unity 5.3.4 on the 31st. While Unity continues to hold a healthy lead as far as the most popular game engine (48% of game-makers worldwide use this tool) is concerned, Unreal Engine also has a loyal following – particularly among those who wish to make their game graphics more interesting. Let us here compare the Unity 5 and Unreal Engine 4 tools on the basis of some key parameters, and try to find whether any one of them can be termed as better than the other:

  1. Platform compatibility – Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4 is hardly a match for Unity 5 when it comes to platform support. While both the tools are used for Windows, Mac OS, Android and iOS game development – Unity can be used to code for games on a much larger set of other platforms than what is possible with UE 4. Wii U and Playstation Vita are two significant platforms that are not compatible with Unreal Engine, along with Samsung SMART TV (Unity supports all of these). The only platform where UE 4 is supported and Unity 5 is not is HTML5 – but that’s a small factor.

Note: Both the tools can be used to make PS4 and Xbox One games.

  1. Programming language – Mobile game developers have to work with C# or Javascript (occasionally, Boo) while working with Unity3D, and C++ if they are using UE4. It boils down to the preferences of individual developers – as to which language they are more comfortable with. What’s more, for newbies – both UE4 and Unity 5 has excellent options for game development without even a single line of coding. UE4 has a top-notch visual scripting editor, named BluePrint, which allows this. On the other hand, the Playmaker plugin has to be bought from the Unity Asset Store, to make game prototypes without having to program. Nothing really to choose between the two here.
  2. Community Support and learning opportunities – Another one that is too close to call. The greater frequency of Unity training sessions and live seminars probably gives this tool a slight edge, although many experts from the field of iPhone and Android game development feel that the overall documentation for UE4 is qualitatively better. As far as online tutorials, forums and discussion sessions are concerned, both tools have equally solid resources (in spite of Unity being a much ‘older’ engine). Irrespective of which tool is being used, it is easy to seek (and find) help on the web.
  3. 2D vs 3D games – Unity 5 is, comparatively speaking, the ‘lower-level game tool’, and it is extensively used for making relatively simple 2D mobile games. Indie game developers, in particular, prefer using Unity over UE4 – simply because the latter’s cutting-edge graphics are not required in most of the games they make. Unity’s 3D development tool is also multi-featured – but Unreal Engine 4 is on an altogether higher level over here. Let’s just say Unity is the go-to- tool for making 2D games, while for more intricate 3D mobile game development – UE4 offers far better solutions. Scalability is not the strongest suite for Unity, and that holds it back somewhat.
  4. The price factor – Till February 2015, developers working with Unreal Engine had to fork out a monthly fee of $19. With the arrival of UE 4, there is now a completely free version of the tool. Unity 5 has a free version as well. However, there is a catch to using the free versions of either of the game development engines. A 5% royalty charge is applicable on UE developers/companies whose games make over $12000 annually (or, $3000 per quarter) – in order to access all the resources of the tool. The free version of Unity 5, on the other hand, lacks several important elements (Asset Bundle creation, for instance). Full-time game developers almost invariably have to purchase Unity Pro, at a monthly subscription fee of $75. In addition, iOS and Android app developers have to pay the stipulated license fees for using the Unity tool.
  5. Graphics features – UE4 practically blows Unity 5 off the park (even with the improvements in the latter), when it comes to the sheer ‘beauty’ of mobile games. All the custom graphics that can be created with Unreal Engine – right from particles and lighting/shadows, to process effects and terrain – seem just that bit better, more interactive and life-like. To give credit where it’s due, the new PhysX 3.3 feature in Unity 5 has given the lighting options in the tool a definite boost. Both the tools can be used to develop triple-A (AAA) rated games – but if you wish to make really pretty games, you should go with UE4.

Note: John Riccitiello referred to Unity 5 at the GDC 2015 event as a ‘graphics powerhouse’. The tool, however, still has quite a bit of catching up to do with Unreal Engine 4 on this count.

  1. Resources in Asset Stores – The initial release of Unity happened way back in 2005, while first iteration of Unreal Engine arrived only in 2011. Not surprisingly, the Unity Asset Store is larger for mobile game developers, than its counterpart for Unreal Engine. While a varied range of custom props, particle effects and characters are available at both the asset stores, Unity offers a lot more additional stuff, like software for motion capture and tools for intuitive animation (at GUI level). The Unity assets are also, on average, slightly cheaper than the UE assets. While there is hardly any qualitative difference between the Asset Stores of either game engine, it is the sheer size of the Unity Store (15000+ assets) that puts it at an advantage.
  2. Proprietary vs Open Source – Unreal Engine 4 is an open-source video and mobile game development tool – and that helps it earn extra brownie points (Unity 5 is a proprietary tool). As is the case with any open-source software, those who make games can directly contribute to the overall resources and knowledge base for the Unreal Engine tool. The process of debugging and app testing is also simpler on UE4. Using a proprietary tool like Unity often requires a larger investment, and the risks associated with it.
  3. Additional Services – Another factor that swings things back in Unity’s favour. Much has been talked about the innovation-focused development fund (worth $5 million) that Epic Games has launched – but the services of Unity Tech are still quite a long way ahead. Those creating Unity games can easily avail of services like Premium Support, Multiplayer and Performance Reporting – along with several other useful functionalities. Like the UE Asset Store, its add-on services also have plenty of scope for improvement.
  4. User experience – Unreal Engine 4 churns out the ‘more beautiful games’ – but the actual process of development is quicker and easier on the Unity tool. In comparison with the Unity Editor, the UE editor seems slightly complicated and slower. Game developers often report that importing assets on UE 4 requires more time than what is needed on Unity 5. There are, in many cases, additional steps to be performed (for the same task) on the editor of Unreal Engine. The end-product might be more good-looking with UE4, but developers have to put in harder yards to get there.
  5. System requirements – Yet another factor behind the widespread preference of Unity3D among small-scale, indie mobile game developers. The engine works absolutely fine on relatively lightweight, older systems (yes, even Windows XP works fine with it). At the other end, there is Unreal Engine which, for optimal performance, requires an updated, 64-bit Windows 7 system. Recent tests have revealed that UE4 drops to as low as 5 fps on older machines – machines on which Unity 5 works without any glitches.
  6. For mobile games – Let us turn our attention exclusively on mobile games for the moment. While Unreal Engine, with its latest iteration has made rapid inroads in 2D game-making and has gained some traction among mobile developers – the fact remains that Unity is still the dominant tool on the mobile platform. The tool has a fantastic range of plugins for a variety of tasks, from app analytics and in-game advertising, to game center support and in-app purchases. UE4 has its own share of mobile-optimal features, but they cannot hold a candle in front of those available with Unity.

Till recently, a major disadvantage of the Unity game engine used to be the absence of a Profiler in its free version (free Profiler was added in January 2016). As is pretty much clear from the above Unreal Engine 4 vs Unity 5 comparison, both the two tools have their own share of advantages and slight drawbacks. For games that are visually superior, UE4 is undoubtedly better – but Unity 5 (thanks to its plugins) is more tuned for making mobile games.

The tussle between Unity and Epic Games has helped in making game development easier and more customizable for developers, and lowered the overall barriers to entry in this field. While it is difficult to call a clear winner between the two – both Unity 5 and UE4 have done a great deal towards lifting the standards of game development in general.

Apple Pay Adoption – Is The Novelty Factor Wearing Off?

Apple Pay usage trends

 

Released in the fall of 2014, Apple Pay has fast emerged as the most popular mobile payments and digital wallet service in the world. A survey in March 2016 reported that the service has more than 12 million monthly users – comfortably more than any of its rivals (read: Samsung Pay, Android Pay). However, a closer look at the adoption figures of Apple Pay would reveal that Tim Cook’s prediction of 2015 being the “Year Of Apple Pay” has not quite materialized. Over here, we take a sneak peek at how Apple Pay has done over the last 15 months or so, and whether users are indeed losing interest in it:

  1. Gradually declining percentage of Apple Pay users – This one should probably get the alarm bells ringing at the Cupertino company. While the initial hype about Apple Pay worked like a charm and there was a huge number of early adopters worldwide – this figure is showing signs of tapering off. During 2015 Q2, the usage of Apple Pay fell by more than 16 percentage points (from 39.3% to 26%) for any particular transaction. In general too, the total number of users of the service slacked off from 15% to 13%. Contrary to predictions, as iPhone 6 sales have risen, the percentage of Apple Pay users has drooped.
  2. iPhone 6 is not driving up Apple Pay adoption – There had been many reports from software and iOS app development forums about how iPhone 6 will be instrumental in bolstering the adoption rates of Apple Pay. Things have, unfortunately, not panned out that way – with a measly 3% of respondents in a survey citing the contactless payment service as the reason they bought the iPhone 6 in the first place. The larger screen size and the superior camera capabilities remain the top 2 reasons for purchasing the flagship model (26% and 21% respectively), while the availability of new iPhone apps is also a big motivating factor. Apple Pay does not even come close.
  3. The uncertainty factor – The number of retailers accepting payments via Apple Pay has been increasing at a fairly rapid clip in the United states, but uncertainties still linger. Nearly 1 out of every 3 people with Apple Pay-enabled iPhones reported that they did not use the service simply because they were ‘not sure whether Apple Pay would work at a store’. Interestingly, another 30% users also stated that they had ‘forgot’ that they could pay through their iPhones via Pay. It is fairly evident from these stats that Apple Pay is yet to become the go-to payment option for people – and neither are they sure about where they can use the service.
  4. Flat adoption curve – As many tech experts and mobile app developers had noted, the initial hype about Apple Pay helped it get off to a fast start. The service debuted in October 2014, and by November – almost 9% of compatible device owners had tried it out. The good news for Tim Cook and his team ends there though – since the growth of Apple Pay has been anything but remarkable since then. By March, the adoption figure had crawled to just a shade above 15%, and in October, less than 17% iPhone users tapped on Apple Pay. More worryingly, the count of regular Apple Pay users has dropped from 19% to 15% – a clear indication that many users have tried the service, not found it to be as amazing as promised, and have not bothered using it again.
  5. Availability of other options – Google Wallet tanked in a big way, and when Apple Pay was launched, it was, for all practical purposes, the only available mobile digital payment service out there. Not surprisingly, tech-savvy iPhone users warmed up to this new technology – boosting the early adoption of Apple Pay. Things are no longer the same at present though, with Android Pay and Samsung Pay having emerged as viable alternative options. Interestingly, although Apple Pay has more than a year’s headstart over its rivals and about two times the user-base – at least Samsung Pay is growing at a faster rate than Apple Pay. The first-mover’s advantage that Apple Pay enjoyed at the start has all but evaporated.

Note: The newer players, however, are not going to catch up with Apple Pay any time soon. The usage of Samsung Pay is at little as 4% on compatible devices, compared to the 6% figure that Apple Pay has. Android Pay is used on a tick over 1% of all compatible handsets.

  1. No significant advantage over conventional card payments – According to a senior Mastercard spokesperson, contactless payment systems like Apple Pay are supposed to be almost 60% faster than normal card payments. Once again, this has only remained true in theory – with users in general finding no extra motivation for using Apple Pay instead of their credit cards. Less than 51% respondents in a recent study felt that the digital payment service is ‘much speedier’ than the card payment process, while only 55.6% people opined that Apple Pay was indeed more convenient. The overall ease of use figure is also not quite in favour of Apple Pay – with 47% people favouring it, and 48.6% being indifferent between using the service and credit cards (the rest stated that card payments were easier). Going by these figures, it seems like Apple Pay has not delivered any great additional advantages that would have motivated people to switch from card payments.
  2. Many other reasons of not using Apple Pay – We have already talked about the significant number of people who either ‘forget’ to use Apple Pay, or are not certain about whether they can use it at a store. Reports from app development experts have revealed that the reward points available on other contactless payment services had lured away 11% of users, 3% people thought that the service might malfunction, and 5% of the user-base felt that Apple Pay was not fast enough. What’s more – on average, 1 out of every 10 people could not use Apple Pay simply because they were not carrying their iPhones with them!

Note: There are, at present, way too many reasons for not using Apple Pay. The Cupertino tech giant has a tough job on its hand, to make the service universally accepted.

  1. Good growth as in-app purchase payment medium – Not all is doom and gloom as far as the adoption rates of Apple Pay are concerned though. For one, representatives from leading iPhone app companies have reported that it is more than an handy tool for supporting in-app purchases (IAP) in freemium applications. Well over 130 apps were supported by Apple Pay at the start of 2016, and the number is growing every month. The number of tie-ups with banks is increasing steadily too (515 in September 2015; 930+ in January 2016) – another sign that usage figures can pick up over the long-term.
  2. Faltering frequency of Apple Pay usage – One thing is fairly certain – Apple Pay has not scored big on the user-experience front. During March last year, 48% of all eligible users used Apple Pay whenever possible. By the time October rolled in, the figure had dwindled to 35%. During the corresponding time-span, there has been a 5% increase in the number of people who use the service ‘rarely’ (22% vs 17%). Security concerns over the use of Apple Pay is an important factor as well, with nearly 20% of users not using the service precisely for such reasons. Interestingly, 6.3% people reported that they were facing problems while trying to register on Apple Pay. For most users, the Apple Pay roadmap has been a bumpy ride so far.
  3. Great for experimenting; not so much as a regular payments service – That’s what the stats about the use of Apple Pay suggest. A PYMNTS study in March 2016 reported that 23% of users are giving Apple Pay at least a try. This is a sign that lack of interest is not a problem the Cupertino company should lose its sleep over. The cracks lie elsewhere – namely, the lack of a committed user-base. There are plenty of first-time users of Apple Pay, but not many of them are game for repeat usage (between March 2015 and March 2016, the repeat user percentage dropped from 41% to 24%).
  4. Apple Pay is not getting everyone hooked – Adding to the woes of poor repeat users of Apple Pay is the fact that, a vast majority of iPhone 6/6S users do not even bother to use it. There is more than a million point-of-sale (POS) terminals in the US which support Apple Pay – but nearly 84% owners of compatible iPhone-owners avoid using the service. In other words, the probability of the Apple Pay service is less than 1 out of every 20 transactions. Not impressive.
  5. It takes time for new habits to replace the old ones – And that, according to software analyzers and those who make apps, is one of the main reasons why the adoption of Apple Pay has been patchy at best thus far. People have been making payments with cards for 40-odd years, and it would be unreasonable to expect that the new one-and-a-half-year old NFC-supported digital payment technology would replace it overnight. Adapting to something new takes time (even more so in this case, considering the serious nature of the service), and everything depends on how quickly (or if at all) people indeed change their established habits while making payments.

Tim Cook’s ambitious statements have brought Apple Pay under the scanner – and to be frank, it has not really become a favourite of customers in the United States, after a promising start. However, there are positives to look forward to in 2016 – first with the launch of Apple Pay in China in February, and the several new features – like browser integration and peer-to-peer payment support. Things have not been uniformly rosy for Apple Pay in 2015, but a strong turnaround in 2016 is definitely on the cards.

 

12+1 Trends In Wearable Technology To Watch Out For In 2016

Latest wearable technology trends

 

In the United States alone, the value of the wearable technology market is expected to touch $20 billion, by the end of 2018. While impressive in itself, the figure seems even more humongous when we consider that wearables were valued at around $1.9 billion in the country in 2013. With wearables being available at both ends of the price spectrum (from the $60-$70 Fitbits to the pricey Apple Watch), there is, predictably, demand from users from all age groups – with young adults leading the way. In today’s discussion, we will turn our attention on a few interesting wearable technology trends that have become rather prominent in 2016:

  1. Apple Watch to remain the revenue leader – In 2015, worldwide Apple Watch shipments brought in a whopping $5.5 billion – comfortably more than the revenue from the sale of any other wearable device. The smartwatch is already on a level-playing field with major Swiss watch companies, and Tractica has projected that Watch would become the biggest wristwatch brand by mid-2017. With Apple Watch 2 likely to launch sometime later this year (an announcement at the WWDC 2016 cannot be ruled out), interest in the smartwatch will remain buoyant.
  2. From awareness to consolidation to growth – That’s the journey of wearable technology over the last 3 years. Leading software and mobile app developers agree that it can now be safely concluded that the use of wearables is certainly not a fad. Fitness trackers, along with several other new wearable devices, hit the markets in 2014 (with a lot of hype, one might add), they got commercialized and gained traction among users in 2015 – and this year, the focus is gradually shifting from single-function wearables, to gadgets that can perform multiple things. Not surprisingly, the count of new applications for wearables is spiralling rapidly.
  3. Fitbit will stay as the top activity tracker, but there will be competition – A spike of 13% in adoption (between February and October last year) pretty much establishes Fitbit’s position as the most popular activity tracker out there. However, it will not have all its way over the next few years – with brands like Garmin and Xiaomi spicing up the competition. The latter, in fact, has a significant cost advantage – with the Mi Band being four times cheaper than the Fitbit Zip ($15 vs $60). The challenge for Xiaomi is reaching out beyond the Chinese markets (where it has a 97% market share). Garmin, on the other hand is the preferred activity tracker among US athletes – with 7 out of 10 athletes using it (according to a recent survey). If its positioning becomes wider, it can also emerge as a threat to Fitbit’s numero uno activity tracker position.
  4. More progress to be made on the smart clothing front – For a couple of years now, reports have been floating around in gadget analysis and mobile app development channels – about how various companies have already started working on ‘smart clothing’. Google, Samsung and Under Armour are some of the big names that have indeed started to foray in this domain, and although any major release is unlikely in 2016 – we should hear more about these over the next few months. With all due respect to smartwatches, the wrist is not always the best place for sensors for activity tracking – and ‘smart clothes’ will bridge that gap.

Note: Under Armour has already launched smart running shoes. The overall shipments of smart clothing is expected to reach 25 million by 2021.

      5. Wearables are only just getting started – In spite of all the reports about burgeoning sales of smart wearables, those who make mobile apps and software maintain that wearable technology is still at a nascent stage even now. The potential for growth is huge – and over the next 5 years or so, we will see wearables to really spread its wings. The estimated CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) for the global wearable technology industry is a shade under 38%. At that rate, the total shipments will jump by almost 658% (560 million vs 85 million) and revenues will grow by a stunning 775% ($95.3 billion vs $12.3 billion) by 2021, over the 2015 figures. If you think that wearable technology is big already, wait and watch how it gets BIGGER in the next few years!

     6. Smart Glasses will come back in a big way – Google Glass, for all its rich features, did not work. There is no confirmed report about when its second iteration will be launched. However, that does not mean smart glasses will not make a mark in the wearables market in 2016. Market analyzers and app-makers fully expect the Microsoft augmented reality (AR) glasses to make a splash, with monocular glasses in general, finding wide acceptance among end-users. The smart glasses developed by Epson should find takers as well. From logistics and manufacturing, to transportation and oil, gas & other utilities – there will be enterprise use of smart glasses on a large-scale.

    7. The sleep factor – There are several wearable gadgets in the market already, that track the sleeping patterns of users in one way or the other. There is, however, a general consensus that the information they provide (duration of sleep, deep vs light sleep, etc) is pretty much like scratching the surface. In the next few quarters, ‘smarter’ sleep trackers – like the Nuyu Sleep System, which can change the body temperature of the wearer while (s)he sleeps – will arrive. Some of the key new functionalities that these trackers will offer include monitoring REM sleep and matching it with the heartbeat rate. The reports will be more comprehensive and insightful.

   8. Android Wear will grow, but… – The problem of fragmentation (that bane of Android) will keep it pegged back. LG and Samsung are both doing well with their smartwatches, and they are directly competing with the Android Wear that Google is coming out with. This is working right into the hands of Apple Watch – which is retaining its market leadership position easily (as already highlighted above). The fact that it is set to become less reliant on paired iPhones, along with the promise of native Watch apps from June 1 at the store, will drive its popularity further.

   9. Rise of the Holograph Headsets – HoloLens, MagicLeap and other such smart headsets are likely to lead the way for mixed reality headsets as viable computing tools for enterprises. The headsets will allow users to interact with the external world in a totally unique and innovative manner – and these will be at the opposite spectrum of most other wearables, which focus on knowing more about one’s own body (the Internet of Bodies (IoB), maybe?). Android and iPhone app developers also predict increased use of virtual reality (VR) in the domains of mobile entertainment and gaming.

  10. Wearable technology for the elderly (with greater focus on healthcare) – The world is growing older. By the time 2048 rolls in, the senior citizen population (60+ years) will reach almost 2 million. With technology being increasingly implemented in the healthcare industry, it will be only natural that common ailments like diabetes and cardiac problems will be monitorable by the next set of cutting-edge wearables. App developers across the globe are working with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algos and miniaturized hardware (not to mention a host of sensors), to integrate health monitoring features in wearable technology in the best possible manner.

  11. Wearables to focus more on specific tasks – To put it in another way, ‘niche wearables’ will witness an upward trend in this year and beyond. The smartwatches will double up as a central hub for other wearable accessories, receiving data and generating reports for the users to view. Both Apple and Google are working on such single-purpose wearables – and gadgets like the $129 Netatmo June bracelet are already growing popular. The last couple of years had been mostly about app developers experimenting with as many sensors as possible in wearables – and things are likely to grow tighter in future.

  12. More threats of security breaches – As technology in any sub-domain grows, risks of hack attacks increase as well – and wearable technology will not be an exception to this. The Bluetooth LE tool used in many wearables is, according to testers and mobile app developers, not the most secure – and there will be openings for spear-phishers to use the GPS data to send fraudulent, malware-infected emails to users. Intel Security Group has already predicted that several popular smart wearable gadgets will be ‘compromised’ within the next 2 years or so. In general too, as we move towards the realm of Internet of Things, security issues are becoming more of a concern. For enterprises, the focus will be on managing access levels in wearables with the help of improved network policies.

Bonus Trend: Over 26 million people will own smartwatches by the end of 2016. However, hardware experts and app developers feel that they will not become substitutes of smartphones anytime soon. For most users, smartwatches are still all about the fun and novelty factors, and in the foreseeable future, they will remain accessories of smartphones, nothing more.

Total integration and implementation of smart tools with the human body is the ultimate goal, and wearable technology – as we know it now – is paving the way for that. Wearables are on a fast track of growth, and they will pick up even more pace in the next 3-4 years.