There’s no doubt that the creation of the smartphone has changed the business landscape forever. At one time, business was conducted behind a desk or on a laptop. With the explosion of smartphone and tablet adoption, however, business is taking place literally everywhere in the world.

How is it happening?  Simple — through mobile apps.

Fastest Technology Adoption

In the 1980s, the PC revolution took off. Desktop computers became commonplace and people discovered there was an entire world of technology available to them. However, smartphones grew 10 times faster than PC adoption back in the ’80s. For those involved in the creation and distribution of apps, this means there’s an ever-growing world of opportunity presenting itself.

Gaming Apps

Analysts predict the coming year will see a strong push with gaming apps. Gaming apps are popular, and businesses are taking advantage of casual gaming, creating apps that tie in with their industry, as well as offering in-game purchases of various products. Research shows that gaming apps literally span the entire demographic spectrum. Those involved with mobile app development are finding new and creative ways to combine casual games with various businesses. In vastly popular gaming apps like Smurf Village and Temple Run, players can actually spend real-world money purchasing in-game items. Sealy Mattresses have an “In Bed” app, where you can tag sentences and photos with “in bed” at the end.

Business Apps

Many industry analysts feel that the coming year is going to create an explosion in business apps. Thanks to Microsoft Surface and the arrival of the iPad Mini, more and more businesspeople are able to conduct important work on tablets. With the Microsoft Surface Pro, there is a marriage between Windows apps and tablets that has never been seen before. More and more mobile app development for business apps are being seen, and 2013 will probably see a mobile app version of every major kind of business software currently on the market. Microsoft has announced that it will be releasing an iOS version of its popular Microsoft Office software, and the new Microsoft Surface already has Microsoft Office available to use.

Augmented Reality Apps

Augmented reality apps are a multi-million dollar market and are growing more and more popular. Basically, augmented reality apps take your smartphone or tablet and actively interact with your immediate surroundings. For example, there is actually an augmented car locator that allows you to discover where you have parked your car. Another augmented reality app shows you what crimes have taken place around your current location (SpotCrime), while another (ARDefender) allows you to play an augmented reality game with objects on your desk.

While there is no certain determination as to the direction that mobile apps are definitely taking in the coming year, the one thing certain is that mobile apps will continue to dominate both our business and personal worlds