By 2017, more than half of smartphone and tablet users will have downloaded mHealth apps, according to a report by Research2Guidance.
The increase in mobile device users will fuel the 10 trends expected to emerge within the mHealth market through 2017, according to the report:
1. Smartphone user penetration will be the main force behind mHealth expansion.
2. mHealth apps will be tailored specifically for either smartphones or tablets.
3. mHealth apps will be native rather than web-based apps.
4. mHealth niche stores will increasingly become the purveyors of mHealth apps.
5. Missing regulations will be the main market barrier during the commercialization phase.
6. Consumers will continue to drive the market.
7. Apps will increasingly enter the market through traditional health distribution channels.
8. mHealth markets will grow mainly in countries with a high percentage of smartphone users and high health expenditures.
9. The second generation of mHealth apps will focus more on chronic diseases.
10. mHealth business models will broaden.
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