Pokemon Go is a certified phenomenon. Within days of the app being released, it easily surpassed the growth of any app that’s come before it, and shockingly, is being used more hours per day than Facebook! While I believe that within a couple months it will go the way of Gangnam Style or the Harlem Shake, it has created a tipping point for augmented reality (AR).
Over the last few years, there have been some novel AR apps such as Yelp Monocle, Blippar, and Aurasma. Even Snapchat’s selfie lenses are considered AR. However, I think it will be the meteoric growth of Pokemon Go which spawns a tidal wave of growth in the AR space over the next year.
There has been a lot of buzz this week about the “problems” Pokemon Go is causing – from finding dead bodies to luring people into being robbed. It reminds me a lot of when people were paranoid Foursquare would let burglars know they weren’t home. Now, many people think nothing of posting their current location publicly on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and others social networks. I think this app will help break down some of those initial creepy barriers.
Among those working on AR are Facebook, and at a SXSW presentation several years ago it hit me that Facebook is perfectly positioned to recognize someone’s face and attach personal information they have on that person. Imagine people’s “relationship status” floating over their heads as you walk around a bar. It’s something that sounds much more creepy than a Pikachu showing up virtually in your bedroom, but it’s that experience which will pave the way for more useful AR tools in the years to come.
This huge consumer interest in AR will certainly drive more companies to experiment with the technology, and perhaps more importantly, spark more investments in it. While it’s certainly a novelty, every business should think about how AR could fundamentally change their business and how they can adapt their customer experience. There are examples from companies like Ikea, Lowe’s Holoroom, and Converse, and I’m certain we’ll see more within the next several months.
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