If you are taking coding classes or doing your own research on development topics, you most probably have this big goal of making your first app for smartphones and tablets or a perhaps a new groundbreaking website. But attracting attention can prove to be difficult considering the vast number of active developers pumping out apps in the most popular platforms. If you are really that imaginative when it comes to app development, you can try creating apps in emerging categories that continue to push forward to the mainstream.
Wearables
Smartwatch
No company has cracked the wearables market just yet but the major players in the industry are making bold moves in various types of wearables. This 2014 looks to be the year of the “smartwatch” with the Pebble and Galaxy Gear already available, but Android Wear is perhaps the biggest sign that the smartwatch platform could be a lucrative place to develop. Google has already laid out some design principles of Android Wear that could apply to other upcoming smartwatch platforms. As for the other wearable categories, you might want to put Google Glass and the Oculus Rift on your radar too. The question is, could Apple be making a smartwatch too?
TVs
Smart TV
“Smart” TVs have been around for quite some time but they remain a niche category for developers because each big TV player has its own development platform. The dream is to make a single app that all TV owners can use. Google is trying to achieve this ubiquity via the company’s Chromecast product although you can only take advantage of it if you intend to develop apps that have some kind of streaming functionality. Rumors are flying around too that Google will release an Android TV platform in the future. Then there is this possibility for the Apple TV to evolve into something bigger. While the future of this category is uncertain, it is clear that the big tech giants want to take over the living room so you might as well plan concepts of your app and put the coding on hold until the big announcements come out.