Who will Dominate the AR market, and how to get ready…$$
When Steve jobs first unveiled the iphone -  the world was stunned, and mesmerized at the same time. The App market boomed with intensity and all sorts of apps were created as a result. Some have known this money making period as the “App gold rush”. Well, now a new “gold rush” is under way with Augmented reality, and the big question is - who is going to be the company that is going to dominate the sector? Will it be apple with a new pair of iglasses? Or will Microsoft have a better chance this time with their Hololens? Let’s also not forget that Google has invested alot of time and money in a company called MagicLeap (which is currently working on an AR kit as well). So who are you going to bet on, and why should you be concerned. Let’s take a closer look:
As I have described before, all 3 companies are building something. Most of the respective members of the Tech community would all agree on this. So the important question to ask is - what is the timeline for all 3 players? Well, if you're an Apple fan you may be surprised to hear that there is a rumor that they might unveil something in the near future (aside from apples ARkit). Of course since apple is so discreet, it's hard to say if the information is factual or not (but more factual as the result of ARkit). Lets not forget about the mystical “Apple TV”, you know the one that Steve Jobs had mentioned in his Autobiography. Well we haven’t seen it yet, have we? If you're hoping for those cool future AR glasses that you seen in shows like “Blackmirror” on Netflix - well I realistically think that you may have to wait a few years before you see that technology be made avail to the masses. So what about “Microsoft”?..Well if you’re a Tech nerd then you already know about Hololens. Supposedly there is a new Hololens kit being in the works right now, and a 2017-2018 looks to be promising. However, I highly doubt that normal consumers would be caught dead wearing this Alien like helmet. I think it is going to be a few more years before Microsoft comes out with something more acceptable by society. Finally, there's “Google”. According to the news media they seem to be putting a lot of hope on MagicLeap. As of recent news MagicLeap has been on the spot light with a lawsuit due to their technology not being up to par as they had previously hyped it up. It’s hard to tell when they are planning on releasing their AR headset as they keep this information on a hush hush.
As a present day developer, I would be looking to get a  good practice on Hololens. The reason being is because they already have a  developer kit and learning tools on how to build apps for Microsoft. I would not sidestep Microsoft or underestimate their abilities. They know too well that they have missed the boat when they were defeated by Apple’s iphone. I highly doubt that they are going to let Apple beat them again. I’m just saying don’t underestimate Microsoft. However, the near future could be different. Apple has a history of allowing its competition to go first, and then step in to claim it’s glory. If you don’t believe me, then you must have not known that the iphone was “not” the first touchscreen IOS device. With that being said Apple could be the more “acceptable” choice for consumers. But to wait for Apple’s arrival in this market is unpredictable. If you're a developer or designer, it’s best to learn as much as you can about the Augmented Reality so that you get a feel for  whats to come. And as far as Google’s investment with Magicleap, I feel  that only in due time will we see if Google can dominate the sector. Even though Google has had much success with its Google play store and IOS software, I do not see them being too big of a player in the hardware  side. Let us not forget that the dominant hardware provider with Google’s IOS   has been Samsung (so far). With all three options, I would go with “Microsoft”   first, and then see what Apple and Google do.
So now that you know who is doing what, the big question you need to ask yourself is, how do I prepare for myself, my company, or my clients for development? Augmented Reality is in fact a new industry which WILL be accepted by the world, in due time. So in order to be prepared, you need to start thinking of ways how you can integrate your current existing app over to AR. When you really start to think about it, some questions may come up, such as - how will I communicate my ideas with designers and developers to stay ahead of the curve. Well if you’re looking to bring your ideas to life then you may want to create a custom AR storyboard that can be easily demonstrated to anyone. Just because you have an idea for a new AR App. It does not mean you can show the entire thing on a “paper napkin”. The future of Web development will be different, and if you want to stay ahead of the curve, then you may want to invest the time in prototyping your current/future concepts the right way, before you end up spending “thousands of dollars” of development costs - Just a thought.Â