The global reception of augmented reality mobile apps has fallen short of expectations, according to Juniper Research, a renowned marketing and technology research firm. The industry may still be in its infancy, but many big-name companies have backed AR technology as a new way to engage consumers. According to researchers, this may be due to the relatively low level of understanding from both companies and consumers regarding how augmented reality works.
Windsor Holden, a principal analyst with Juniper Research, points out that the capabilities of augmented reality far surpass those of conventional technologies, making it difficult to develop efficient and useful AR programs. While companies have been eager to adopt the technology, consumers have been slow to warm to their efforts.
Juniper is not the only research firm that is lauding the sloth-like pace of AR adoption. ABI Research’s Neil Strother has also made note of the slow progress of the technology. According to Strother, the problems lie with mobile devices. AR is notoriously demanding on conventional smart phones, shortening the battery life significantly as well as causing other problems.
Overall, Juniper and ABI Research believe that there is much room for improvement in the realm of AR applications. Initial offerings from tech companies have been unimpressive thus far, leaving many consumers doubting that AR will be anything more than a glorified form of 3D. Time will tell, however, as several new AR apps will be released within the next few months.
