The world may have paused for a while due to the pandemic. But the mobile technology world has not rested and continues to provide something new for tech enthusiasts around the world. Despite the uncertainty of our future due to the current health crisis, we can still look forward to some mobile tech world developments.
Widespread Cloud Adoption
With more businesses shifting to remote work arrangements for their employees, physical locations’ demand will go down. This will also increase the demand for cloud-based solutions to allow employees to access the business’s systems.
Businesses will increase their use of cloud-based apps, such as Dropbox, Slack, and Google Drive. Industry watchers expect the revenues of cloud computing industry players to continue growing from around $260 billion in 2020 to around $305 billion in 2021.
The popularity of cloud-based apps will not wane as employees continue to work from home for their safety. Additionally, these cloud-based apps will also benefit from the situation as they see lower development costs and better performance.
The move towards using cloud-based apps also compels local SEO companies to make adjustments in their digital marketing strategies to meet their customers’ needs. Since most businesses and their market are moving online, previous strategies only considered the stores’ physical locations.
Increasing Use of Mobile Wallets
The popularity of contactless payment will continue to go up even after the end of the pandemic. This comes as more people have started to use mobile wallets after the pandemic started around a year ago. Due to this, businesses have also started accepting mobile payments as their customers’ payment options.
These days, consumers’ most popular mobile wallets are Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Apple Pay. On the other hand, PayPal, Xoom, and Zelle are among the more popular online payment gateways. The increasing popularity of these payment options will likely result in further developments to enhance protection and precision. The situation will also see lower usage of cash and checks for in-person purchases.
The situation will also give rise to mobile commerce or m-commerce, where transactions are conducted using mobile devices. This is a subcategory of e-commerce and became popular during the pandemic. People use technology for ordering food for delivery. M-commerce has also helped develop some industries and services, including mobile banking, mobile marketing, and mobile money transfers.
Widespread Adoption of 5G Technology
The increase in the number of people working from home increased the need for faster internet connectivity. This led to the faster adoption of 5G technology in the United States. The download speed 5G offers is a hundred times faster compared to current 4G technology. It also offers significantly lower latency. These features make 5G technology appealing and will likely encourage widespread adoption.
The faster speed of 5G is due to the higher frequency radio waves it uses to transmit data. These networks use frequencies between 2.5GHz and 300GHz. In comparison, 4G networks use lower frequencies ranging from 700 MHz up to 2.5GHz. One drawback for 5G is it needs more base stations since its higher frequency has a limited range compared to 4G. But the benefits offered by 5G far outweigh its limited range.
Faster data transmission will also facilitate the wider use of the Internet of Things (IoT). It will allow more devices to connect to users’ mobile devices and automate nearly everything in the house. The convenience it offers is another benefit people can get from the use of 5G technology.
But industry watchers also highlight the importance of security when 5G is widely adopted. This makes cybersecurity professionals’ work all the more important since most of their personal information is stored in the system. It is important to safeguard the system and prevent access to unauthorized individuals.
Increasing Use of VR and AR
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) were already popular before the pandemic started. Different industries used the technology for education and training purposes. During the pandemic, the real estate industry used the technology for virtual tours of properties for its clients. Additionally, the gaming industry is also using technology to enhance the gaming experience.
Google and Apple have also contributed to the increasing popularity of the technology by offering updates for their respective devices. Industry watchers expect additional VR and AR features in the future. The technology will also increase its popularity as more industries use it for various applications.
Even as the world waits for the pandemic to end, the mobile technology industry continues to develop, with more trends coming out in the future.
