Apple’s hardware becomes more sophisticated and its iOS platform evolves in step. One feeds the other leading to giving developers even more possibilities to come up with advanced apps that set the tone for the future. iOS 11.4 launched in May 2018 included AirPlay 2, Messages in iCloud, support for the ClassKit framework, and HomePod stereo pairing. iOS 12 is on the horizon and should iron out the kinks in iOS 11. Meanwhile, these technological advancements have spurred iOS app developments in various spheres that are likely to become the trend in the future.
Table of Contents
Swift 4
Swift offers support for Linux and iOS with the additional facility to recompile for MacOS and TVOS. Swift 4 simplifies the development of apps while scaling down memory consumption. Developers are likely to make use of enhanced features of Swift 4 to introduce enterprise apps that are secure and better performing.
It also allows faster development, something developers always like and Swift 4 improves the speed. Life for iOS developers has become just a little bit easy with the new codable protocol that permits them to serialize and deserialize data types to JSON without having to write special code. Dictionaries in Swift 4 have become more powerful. What these and other new features mean is that iOS development companies can focus more on functionalities in apps and not worry about memory hogging.
Artificial Intelligence(AI)
AI is trending in all spheres and it is no different in the iOS world as developers leverage its features to create intelligent apps that integrate well with the Internet of Things.
Apple has introduced CoreML, a machine learning framework that enables iOS application development with minimal coding while introducing more features such as face recognition, object tracking, and barcode detection besides improving security.
For instance, CoreML can be used with a Vision framework to classify images and process them in order to make machine learning easier. It can be used with the phone’s camera sensor to capture images and it can be used with external sensors in the Internet of Things. The possibilities are immense as machine learning moves from cloud to device.
Augmented Reality (AR)
Augment Reality should really take off with iOS 11 facilitating the development of apps that include AR and this is further boosted by the availability of the Sumerian Application Platform from Amazon with full support for Apple’s ARKit. iPhones and iPads users will have apps that redefine augmented reality.
AR will find widespread use in industry and in homes. It is not just gaming where AR delivers a superior experience. Homeowners can, for instance, previsualize how furniture will fit inside their homes. Service technicians in industries can visualize equipment and the repair process. Education can take on a new meaning when iOS app developers incorporate AR into learning apps.
HomeKit
The HomeKit framework opens up a whole new world of iOS app development leading to better home automation. Expect to see more such apps that will let homeowners control a variety of devices using just their iPhone or iPad.
Say goodbye to remotes. You do not even need to tap a button. Siri in iOS devices is evolving in intelligence and voice command is all you need to control devices. Apple makes available the HomeKit accessory protocol for hobbyists and the HomeKit Framework for developers as well as its HomeKit MFI license for accessory manufacturers.
Wearable apps
Apple Watch and similar devices spurred the growth of iOS application development that allowed easy integration of these devices with phones and tablets besides standalone working.
Instant apps
Users are fed up with downloading apps only to find that it is not of much use. This led to the rise of instant apps. Now users need not download and install apps. They can run the app and use it to see if it suits their needs and then only download it. This trend influences iOS application development in that developers need to be more focused on creating apps that suit user preferences.
iOS developers will be kept busier than ever as 2019 portends cross-platform app solutions with easy porting of iOS to macOS. As matters stand iOS 11 and the likely to be released soon iOS 12 has enough enhancements to spur the development of innovative apps in the times to come.
