The Evolution of Mobile App Development
Evolution is not a process. It is a way of life. Everything that comes to life undergoes the process of continuous evolution – be it human civilization or a device. The same applies to mobile app development. This domain has been evolving and taking different shapes since its inception. Thanks to the mobile apps! Everything has been made available at our fingertips. Whether it is for organizing, planning, communicating, getting our daily dose of entertainment, or even eating, we have become dependent on these discoveries.
That is not all. Many businesses and brands derive their revenue by delivering quality services through mobile apps. The launch of the app store made mobile applications bridge the gap between luxury and necessity. Most importantly, most brands these days outsource app development to reputed mobile app development service providers. Are you also looking for a mobile app development company? You have made the right decision. However, before that let’s take you through the chronology of mobile app development! Read on!
Where Did It Start?
April 3rd, 1973: It was the red-letter day when Martin Cooper from Motorola made the first-ever call from a cellular phone in New York. After 10 years of intense brainstorming and R&D, the first mobile phone hit the market – the DynaTAC 8000X. To your surprise, it cost $4000 and weighed around 2 pounds. However, it did not operate applications.
August 1994: IBM launched the first-ever smartphone, called Simon. It had no application store. It only had around 10 built-in apps, such as a calendar, calculator, contact, and clock to name a few.
December 1997: Do you remember the game ‘Snake’ or have you ever heard about it? It was an oh-so-loved preloaded game found on Nokia mobile phones.
March 2002: In the year 2002, Blackberry 5810 was launched by Rim. It came with an amazing wireless Email feature. It also has pre-installed apps, including a ringtone editor, arcade games, a sketch pad, and a to-do list.
The Golden Year, 2008: In 2008 came the turning point in the world of mobile app development. Yes! You got it right. Apple launched the App Store.
It paved the way for the new morning in the realm of iOS app development while enabling third-party apps to be created and distributed. Since then, the genre of mobile app development never looked back.
When Did the App Store Become a Real Inspiration?
The App Store’s success inspired other platforms, such as Android, to follow suit with their app marketplaces. This transformed face of app distribution opened doors for independent developers. Moreover, it fueled innovation and diversity in the mobile app landscape.
What Is the Story of HTML5’s popularity?
With the skyrocketing demand for mobile apps, developers faced the summon to provide for multiple platforms at once.
It led to the advancement of HTML5. It is a web-based technology that allows developers to build apps with multiple devices and operating systems.
How and Why Did Native Apps Revive?
Holding the hands of HTML5, cross-platform frameworks, including PhoneGap and Xamarin, earned quite a rage. It helped developers write code one time and leverage it across different platforms. Although this approach eased the process of development, it had limitations in terms of performance and access.
Hence, native app development noticed a revival. Native applications are designed exclusively for a specific platform – either iOS or Android. They offer excellent performance and better integration with device features. This change led to the emergence of Swift and Kotlin, the go-to programming language for iOS and Android native development, respectively.
With the advancements in mobile technology, developers started to explore innovative ways of user interaction.
How Did AR and VR Come into Being?
With the evolution of mobile technology, developers have started exploring innovative methods of user interaction. This led to the birth of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) applications. These apps gave the users a more interactive and immersive experience than traditional screens. VR gained popularity in fields like education, gaming, and simulations, while AR rocked the world of gaming like Pokémon GO.
Led by frameworks like ARKit and ARCore, app developers at every noted mobile app development company were equipped with tools to integrate AR into mobile apps.
And the Big Bang of 5G!
Then, came – the 5G technology with a bang. It brought about a shift in the mobile app development niche. Some of the best gifts of this technology are seamless connectivity, increased data speeds, and reduced latency. Moreover, it led to new possibilities in the form of immersive gaming, augmented reality, and IoT connectivity.
To Sum Up!
From the modest beginnings of basic applications to the current age of AR, AI, and 5G connectivity, the journey of mobile app development has been laced with remarkable achievements. As we stand on the brink of a new era in mobile app development, one thing is clear. Yes! The future holds endless possibilities for developers to continue pushing the boundaries of what is technologically achievable. All you need is a good mobile app development partner.