App revenues will experience a tenfold increase

The company noted that Enterprise interest in AR has reached new heights, owing to improvements in software, wearable technology and the promise of significant efficiency gains. However, the individual needs of enterprises dictate that AR app costs will remain high for the foreseeable future.

Despite a high revenue forecast for the sector, the report, titled Augmented Reality: Consumer, Enterprise & Vehicles 2015-2019, observed that the overall uptake of enterprise AR applications will remain relatively low until the end of the decade. At present, the enterprise AR app ecosystem has not fostered any standards with regards to development across devices, giving rise to a level of risk with regards to security and integration.

“Most enterprise AR apps must be bespoke in order to comply with requirements,” commented report author Steffen Sorrell. “That presents challenges. Entry costs are increased so a return on investment must be assured.”

Additionally, the Juniper Research found that enterprise head-mounted devices, such as Vuzix’s M100 and Daqri’s Smart Helmet, will overtake smartphones and tablets as the preferred AR device in terms of app use beyond 2019. Indeed, the hands-free nature of these devices ensures that workers will be able to maximise the benefits of AR technology. Nevertheless, display shortcomings must be ironed out: presently, wide field-of-views and low latencies are lacking.