It looks like Apple’s ARKit is growing in popularity.
Over 13 million apps featuring ARKit augmented reality development framework have been downloaded in the App Store since the release of iOS 11 back in September of 2017, according to app data tracking firm Sensor Tower.
Sensor Tower says it analyzed the state of Apple’s AR app ecosystem and found that while ARKit apps have been downloaded 13 million times, games have experienced the most traction. Specifically, 47 percent of all ARKit app downloads during the development framework’s first six months were video games.
To put the 13 million number in perspective, just a month after iOS 11’s release date, only three million ARKit apps had been downloaded, with games amounting to a substantial 25 percent of that number. This means the number of ARKit-only app downloads has increased significantly over the past few months.
In terms of specific rankings, Sensor Tower says the app that received the most downloads is pet simulator AR Dragon, developed by Australia’s PlaySide Studios. The top paid and top grossing ARKit app is CamToPlan Pro, an AR measuring tape app from Tasmanic Editions.
Pokémon Go doesn’t make the list because Sensor Tower focused on ARKit-only apps for its study. Since Pokémon Go features ARKit functionality but is still compatible with all recent iOS devices, the game wasn’t included in the firm’s analysis.
ARKit 1.5, the latest version of Apple’s augmented reality development kit, rolled out to developers back in January. This new version of the technology features wall detection, which could expand the functionality of a number of current ARKit apps, allowing for both vertical and horizontal surfaces to be detected.
Other new features include improved horizontal plotting, 1080p video and computer vision-based image recognition, allowing ARKit apps to view 2D objects.
ARCore, Google’s answer to Apple’s ARKit, is set to make its way to Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and S9+ in the near future. Google says that there are now over 60 ARCore apps in the Play Store.
Source: Sensor Tower Via: TechCrunch
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