Arkite is the platform for augmented reality implemented by the Apple company in iOS 11 for customers from all over the world, it being considered by the Americans as an essential technology for telephones. Despite the work done to create the platform and the intense promotion made by Apple, ARKit does not seem to have attracted as many developers as the company wanted.
iOS app developers rushed to release some ARKit-implemented titles after iOS 11 was released, but interest in the platform quickly waned, likely due to low sales. 300 applications with ARKit were launched in September, 200 in October, 155 in November and 170 in December, the interest falling to half two months after the release of iOS 11.
According to an American company called Apptopia, 30% of applications with ARKit are games, while the rest are divided into a varied range of other categories, with different functionalities. The attention that the applications for iOS 11 with ARKit had also decreased after October, so it is normal that the interest for developers disappears, if the applications are not promoted.
"I regard AR as a big idea like the smartphone. The smartphone is for everyone, we don't have to think the iPhone is about a certain demographic, or country or vertical market: it's for everyone. I think AR is that big, it's huge. I get excited because of the things that could be done that could improve a lot of lives. And be entertaining. I view AR like I view the silicon here in my iPhone, it's not a product per se, it's a core technology."
ARKit and augmented reality were seen as the main technologies for mobile phones in 2017, but 2018 started with completely different priorities for manufacturers, and that won't change anytime soon. Apple will continue to promote ARKit, but since interest has already dropped substantially, it is hard to believe that it will succeed in bringing the platform back to the attention of developers.
