It has been almost 28 years since mobile phones came to the human world. So much has been changed in all these years. It is an evolution that took the world by storm. Mobile phones used to be large and bulky but they are now small and compact. people don’t imagine their lives without smartphones and that is the reason why there have been changes in them over all these years.
According to research, almost 77% of Americans own a smartphone and 95% own a cell phone of some kind. It gives us a glimpse of where we’ve come from, and of what’s coming if we understand the history and evolution of the smartphone. Lo and behold, let’s take a look at just how far we’ve come.
IBM and The World’s First Smartphone
IBM revealed a revolutionary device in 1992 that had more capabilities than cell phones that came before it. This smartphone was known as the Simon Personal Communicator, but it officially came out in the market in 1994.
This device, although less advanced but had many of the modern elements we attribute to, smartphones and mobile devices today. These included:
- Touch screen
- Fax
- Notes and Calendar
- Apps and other widgets that would become widespread decades later
Unfortunately, it only sold 50,000 units in 6 months. But it paved the way for others to innovate.
Blackberry
The first device of BlackBerry mobile was the BlackBerry 5810. It had most of what you think of when you hear “Blackberry”:
- Calendar
- Music
- A full keyboard
- Advanced security
- Internet access
The primary target of BlackBerry was business professionals. They kept releasing more and more advanced devices and became the market leader in smartphones until the iPhone came into the marketplace. Blackberry bottomed out with a 0% market share in 2017.
Apple Enters The Smartphone Race
With the iPod in the market, Apple had already begun transforming people’s lives. The stage was set for them when they unveiled their latest device in 2007. The iPhone became one of the most advanced smartphones the market had ever seen.
Apple sold 1.4 million iPhones in the first year in the marketplace.
This number exploded to 11.6 million sold in 2008. It’s extended battery life with 8 hours of talk time and 250 hours on standby shook the consumers. This was a huge improvement over IBM’s Simon. The iPhone was a much more consumer-friendly device, particularly for daily use. The hardware was impressive, but the software expanded the iPhone’s capabilities and there was a revolution in the industry. It has millions of apps. With all these changes, in 2015, 84% of Americans said they couldn’t go a day without their phone.
The Future of Smartphones
A glimpse of what mobile devices could be was shown to us in the early smartphones like IBM’s Simon showed us.
The way we approach both our work and leisure has been improved drastically with the change in mobile phone technology. Mobile apps are gaining tremendous traction in all spheres of life and are becoming an indispensable part of the digital ecosystem as the world is rapidly heading towards digitalization.
In the past few years, a huge investment in the mobile app development industry by many tech giants has been witnessed. After realizing the significance of mobile apps small businesses are also incorporating themselves into business processes.
With the help of mobile apps, organizations create brand awareness, deliver personalized content, boost customer engagement, reduce costs, and increase sales.
With the advent of advanced technologies, the mobile app development industry has been greatly impacted. Internet of Things, Chatbots, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, Augmented and Virtual Reality, etc, these technologies are supposed to continue taking mobile app development by storm in 2020. Let’s discuss in detail how 2020 is for mobile app development.
Blockchain
Blockchain is implemented in mobile apps for enhancing security, tracking, and quality controls. It has disrupted and reshaped the mobile app development. Most of the payment apps are using this technology for ensuring secure and faster transactions. Blockchain will stay in vogue in 2020 and ahead.
Internet of Things (IoT)
IoT is a huge network of interconnected digital, mechanical, and computing devices through which one can exchange and transfer data and information. Moreover, mobile apps that are powered by IoT enable us to connect bands, wristwatches, and other wearables to smartphones.
Augmented & Virtual Reality (AR & VR)
After the release of ARKit by Apple and ARCore by Google, iOS, and Android app development has gained immense momentum. In every industry – be it retail, healthcare, education, travel, etc. the demand for VR and AR applications is picking up pace. These technologies are creating amazing experiences for mobile users and also helping businesses increase sales.
These are all trends that went viral in the mobile phone industry and literally took the world by storm. More advancements have been witnessed and there is a chance that there will be more technological progressions.