Applications on iPhone and Nexus One could increase demand for AR content

Applications found on the iPhone and Nexus One could be behind a surge in demand for augmented reality (AR) content by mobile phone users.

AR content is becoming increasingly popular, with a new report revealing that downloads featuring the technology are set to rise from one million a year in 2009 to more than 400 million in 2014.

One factor behind the exceptional rise is the rapidly expanding group of people using applications – such as those found on the iPhone or Nexus One – according to the study by Juniper Research.

The mobile AR report found that location-based search applications should account for the majority of downloads in the next five years.

These will be followed by games – the second most popular category of downloads – which will be responsible for 30 per cent of the market by 2014.

Another conclusion arrived at by Juniper is that the majority of mobile phone providers will soon follow the lead of Samsung and preload AR browsers on to devices prior to them being purchased.

Dr Windsor Holden, the report’s author, said: "Preloading an AR browser, or indeed any kind of AR-enabled app, on to the handset, greatly reduces time-to-content or thereby offers the opportunity to increase user familiarity with AR in practice."

The greater demand for applications could be partially a result of the likelihood that handsets capable of processing such technology will become more widespread – with the successful iPhone followed recently by the Nexus One and also Android smartphones.

Samsung’s decision to include AR capability may have been a factor in it achieving sales of more than 40 million touchscreen phones in 2009, which it recently announced.