In recent times, enterprises and software developers are waking up to the reality that mobile devices have smaller screens and the apps designed for a desktop is just not right for use on a smart phone. This article discusses some of the factors driving mobile-only development as well as some of the challenges ahead for mobile apps developers all over the world.
Mobile Apps Development Needed a Makeover
Anyone familiar with using a smart phone to surf the internet would tell you that many websites are still a pain to handle. Not only is there a problem with the amount of flash objects on many pages, there is also a problem with finding stuff on the page. Users are forced to separately zoom into each section of the page till they find the relevant information and it takes a lot of time as well as effort to achieve the desired results. With this in mind some companies started designed mobile versions of their website and the trend caught on. Currently we have many mobile-only web pages for checking emails, banking statements etc. The same trend is now being observed in case of enterprise applications.
As with any technology market, the Mobile Apps Development market is also witnessing a slow but steady evolution of sorts. More and more Software Development Companies are responding to clients’ needs for mobile-only apps. These new-age apps provide a crucial benefit over the standard applications developed for desktops, which were designed for larger screens. Earlier when the need for mobility led to the migration of apps from desktops to mobile, it was common practice to alter the software coding to enable compatibility with mobile platforms, while retaining the desktop UI. This practice ensured a swift time to market and lower development costs, which benefited the company’s bottom line. However, it was the users of these applications who were faced with a range of problems related to using such hastily migrated software.
Due to the problems related to bugs and usability arising from this sort of desktop to mobile migration, the traditionally developed mobile applications were far from successful in many cases. Another major problem was that the migration of desktop UI to a mobile screen caused all buttons and menus in the UI to get squashed up and resulted in a very user-unfriendly experience. In many cases, users felt that their productivity actually declined as a result of using these applications. It was deemed necessary that the Mobile Application Development procedures required a makeover of sorts and the first steps towards mobile-only application development were started.
The Challenges of Mobile-Only Apps Development
Currently a few mobile-only applications are available in the market such as banking solutions compatible with the key mobile platforms - iPhone/iOS, BlackBerry and Android. However, this fledgling software development market segment needs to confront a few key challenges before it can be designated as a success. The first challenge is the cost aspect of developing an only-for-mobile app. Many have pointed out that this type of development is very similar to developing a completely new app from scratch, which can be an expensive proposition for many businesses specially those in the SME segment. A probable solution to this could be greater involvement by Offshore Software Development firms in the mobile-only development process to drive down costs and popularize the field.
A second often cited problem is the dearth of developers experienced in developing mobile apps which are compatible with the leading smart phone platforms. This problem will certainly resolve itself as these emerging platforms come of age, the mobile apps market continues to grow and developers view mobile-only development as an attractive working area. This is already beginning to happen today if the declining PC shipment volumes and rapidly increasing smart phone shipment volumes are any indication.
The other problem is the time to market issue, which is expected to increase because of developing separate apps for desktop and mobile platforms. This is actually a moot point, because in the next few years, smart phones and related mobility devices are pegged to become the primary devices for a mobile workforce, which refuses to be chained to their desks using a desktop. In fact some suggest that the work station PC as we have known it is expected to die a slow death at the work place, which is witnessing a steady migration to progressively smaller devices. In the face such evolution it is natural to assume that soon the client requirement for desktop applications would dwindle and mobile-only applications will be more prevalent. This list of challenges for mobile-only development is by no means exhaustive and many other challenges will have to be met before this emerging market develops as a leading segment of the software development market. For More Information Visit: http://www.extendcode.com/
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