This document summarizes some of the biggest announcements from major tech companies at events in spring 2017 related to mobile, web, AI and new technologies. It discusses how mobile usage continues to grow while desktop declines, and why companies like Facebook, Google and Apple cannot be ignored. Key topics covered include the rise of smart speakers and consumer AI, developments in augmented and virtual reality, and expanded capabilities for mobile and the web through technologies like Instant Apps and notifications. The document provides advice for brands on how to prepare for these shifts, such as adjusting mobile strategies and investigating how new technologies like AR/VR could support engagement goals.

1. UNPACKINGTHISYEAR’S
BIGGESTTECH
ANNOUNCEMENTS
2017 TECH BRIEFING

2. 2
TODD GRENNAN
SR. CONTENT PRODUCER, APPBOY
KEVIN WANG
VP OF PRODUCT, APPBOY
PRESENTING
TODAY

3. 3
TOC
WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW
Mobile is maturing, web is riding it out
WATCH THE THRONE
Why brands can’t afford to ignore F8, WWDC,
or Google I/O
THE FUTURE IS COMING FAST
All the major developments from this spring’s
biggest tech events
HOW TO GET READY
The steps you need to take to get ahead of the
curve—and stay there
Q&A
Your questions, answered

4. WHERE WE ARE NOW:
MOBILE IS KING

5. S O U R C E : * M A R K E T I N G L A N D 2 0 1 7 “ M O B I L E N O W A C C O U N T S F O R N E A R LY 7 0 % O F D I G I TA L M E D I A T I M E ”
5
MOBILE HAS TAKEN OVER THE WORLD—BUT DESKTOP HASN’T DISAPPEARED
60%
OF MOBILE TIME
IS SPENT USING
NATIVE APPS*
30+%
OF DIGITAL TIME*
DESKTOP
STILL USED FOR
69%
OF DIGITAL TIME*
MOBILE
ACCOUNTS FOR

6. 6
AS MOBILE LEVELS OFF AND DESKTOP SHRINKS, BRANDS LOOK FOR THE NEXT BIG THING
28%-3%
FROM
S O U R C E : * T E C H C R U N C H 2 0 1 7 “ R E A D M A R Y M E E K E R ’ S E S S E N T I A L 2 0 1 7 I N T E R N E T T R E N D S R E P O R T ”
89%
BETWEEN 2014
AND 2016*
SMARTPHONE
SHIPMENT
GROWTH FELL
8%
SINCE 2013*
DESKTOP
USAGE SHRANK

7. WATCH THE THRONE:
WHY THIS SPRING’S BIG TECH
EVENTS MATTER

8. 8
YOU CAN’T
SEE THE
FUTURE…
BUTYOU CAN SEE
THE FUTURE THAT
APPLE, GOOGLE,
AND FACEBOOK
ARE CHASING

9. 9
FACEBOOK, GOOGLE, AND APPLE
HERE’S WHERE THEY’RE PUTTING THEIR ENERGY:
• Smart Speakers and Other Consumer AI
• Augmented Reality (AR)
• Virtual Reality (VR)
• Expanded Web & Mobile Possibilities
WHAT THE TECH GIANTS KNOW

10. SMART
SPEAKERS
AND OTHER
CONSUMER AI

11. 1 1
APPLE ENTERS THE BATTLE OF THE SMART SPEAKERS
SIRI GETS A BIG UPGRADE
Apple’s Siri digital assistant was the star of this year’s WWDC,
with increased AI-powered capabilities, including stronger
natural language processing.
PLAYING CATCH-UP OR LEADING THE RACE?
With new integrations within iOS, the Apple Watch, and
increased third-party integration support via SiriKit, Apple’s
going toe to toe with the likes of Alexa and Google Assistant
AND, THEY’RE OFF!
Apple introduces HomePod, an audio-focused, Siri-powered
smart speaker designed to compete with the Amazon Echo
and Google Home smart speakers.

12. 1 2
GOOGLE GOES ALL-IN ON THE GOOGLE ASSISTANT
S O U R C E : T H E V E R G E 2 0 1 7 “ T H E 6 B I G G E S T U P DAT E S C O M I N G TO G O O G L E H O M E ”
GOOGLE HOME GETS PERSONAL
Using Google’s strength in machine learning, Google Home’s
Google Assistant will now be able to distinguish between
different individuals.
ONE SMALL STEP FOR NOTIFICATIONS
Google Home is getting notifications, or “proactive assistance”
to keep users better informed—but all early signs point to
them being limited to Google-associated services.
GAME CHANGER: GOOGLE ASSISTANT FOR ALL
They may not have added a screen to Google Home, but
Google Assistant is now able to create connected experiences
on Android TVs, smartphones—even the iPhone.

13. 1 3
ALEXA TO SUPPORT THIRD-PARTY NOTIFICATIONS
STEALING THE SPOTLIGHT
Leapfrogging the Google Home’s cautious approach to
notifications, Amazon plans to allow Alexa notifications.
THE AGE OF THE THIRD SCREEN?
Amazon continues to expand the range of smart speakers it
offers under its Amazon Echo umbrella, with its new Amazon
Echo Show including a screen.

14. 1 4
FACEBOOK CHATBOTS ARE ABOUT TO GET SMARTER
FACEBOOK TAUGHT THEIR CHATBOTS TO NEGOTIATE
Despite their AI-linked possibilities, but most chatbots are still quite
basic. Facebook says they’ve now created bots that can negotiate
and engage intuitively with users—now, that’s a game-changer.
“DISCOVER” TAB WANTS TO BE THE NEW APP STORE
Facebook is putting just as much investment on the distribution
side, launching a new tab within Messenger to help users
browse and select chatbots based on their interests.

15. 1 5
APPLE AND GOOGLE BRING AI TO THE (THIRD-)PARTY
S O U R C E : T E C H C R U N C H 2 0 1 7 “ G O O G L E I S G I V I N G A C LU S T E R O F 1 , 0 0 0 C LO U D T P U S TO R E S E A R C H E R S F O R F R E E ”
APPLE MAKES MACHINE-LEARNING ATTAINABLE
Apple opens up their mobile-focused machine learning API
to devs, making it easier for brands to take advantage of AI
within their mobile experiences
GOOGLE’S PUSHING CLOUD-BASED AI
Google Cloud will be adding access to Google’s cloud-based
AI systems to help brands take advantage of AI capabilities at
scale with pre-trained AI models.

16. AUGMENTED
REALITY

17. 1 7
When it comes to augmented reality, Google’s recent moves in
the space are designed to take advantage of AR to provide
consumers with a smoother, more helpful user experience.
VISUAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (VPS)
Stores, museums, and other locations will be able to map
their interiors, making them searchable and providing visual
cues via smartphone that make it easier to find your way
GOOGLE LENS
This tool makes it possible to make plans, gather
information, and more, simply by pointing a smartphone
camera at text or real-world objects.
AR FINDS IT’S PLACE IN EVERYDAY LIFE WITH GOOGLE
S O U R C E : M A S H A B L E 2 0 1 7 “ G O O G L E ’ S V P S I S G P S F O R I N D O O R S ”

18. 1 8
BRING ON THE BRANDS
Facebook announces Camera Effects
augmented reality platform, encouraging
brands to create AR experiences within
the Facebook ecosystem.
THE NEXT BIG PLATFORM IS…YOUR CAMERA?
S O U R C E : T E C H C R U N C H 2 0 1 7 “ FA C E B O O K L A U N C H E S A U G M E N T E D R E A L I T Y C A M E R A E F F E C T S D E V E LO P E R P L AT F O R M ”

19. 1 9
ARKIT FOR IOS
Apple announces the ARkit for iOS, making it easier for
brands to take advantage of the sensors and tools built
into iPhones to create immersive AR experiences for games,
media platforms, and more.
AR’S BIG BREAK?
Because users will be able to take advantage of these
AR experiences without any special equipment, this
phone-based approach to AR may be the initial way
most consumers experience this new technology.
APPLE PUSHES MOBILE AR WITH ARKIT

20. VIRTUAL
REALITY

21. 2 1
THE STUFF OF (DAY)DREAMS
Google announced plans to pursue the creation of
standalone Daydream VR devices in collaboration with
HTC and Lenovo, instead of concentrating entirely on
VR software and smartphone-based VR experiences.
GOOGLE DAYDREAMS OF VIRTUAL REALITY
S O U R C E : T H E V E R G E 2 0 1 7 “ S TA N DA LO N E G O O G L E V R H E A D S E T S C O M I N G F R O M H TC A N D L E N O V O ”

22. 2 2
VIDEO CHAT IS SO LAST YEAR
Spaces, Facebook’s upcoming VR platform, will allow
users to interact with friends and connections from other
Facebook properties in a (pretty cartoonish) virtual
environment or a variety of recreated real-life locations.
FACEBOOK PUTS THE ‘SOCIAL’ IN SOCIAL MEDIA
S O U R C E : W I R E D 2 0 1 7 “ FA C E B O O K ’ S B I Z A R R E V R A P P I S E X A C T LY W H Y Z U C K B O U G H T O C U LU S ”

23. EXPANDED
WEB & MOBILE
POSSIBILITIES

24. 2 4
ANDROID PUSH GIVES USERS THE CONTROL
S O U R C E : 9 TO 5 G O O G L E 2 0 1 7 “ N O VA L A U N C H E R A D D S A N D R O I D O ’ S N OT I F I C AT I O N D OT S I N L AT E S T B E TA U P DAT E ”
Google is taking steps to give Android users more control
over how (and whether) they receive push notifications,
including:
•Notification Channels
•Notification Dots
•Push Snooze

25. 2 5
APPLE CHANGES THE APP STORE EXPERIENCE
S O U R C E : 9 TO 5 M A C 2 0 1 7 “A P P S TO R E N O W R E Q U I R E S D E V E LO P E R S TO U S E O F F I C I A L A P I TO R E Q U E S T A P P
R AT I N G S , D I S A L LO W S C U S TO M P R O M P T S ”
At WWDC, Apple’s overhaul of its iconic App Store for iOS 11
was one of the big stories. In addition to a new visual interface
and a separate “Games” tab, the App Store has a couple of
features that are of particular interest to marketing, growth, and
engagement teams:
•App Store ratings API
•App Rating Reset Options

26. 2 6
ANDOID INSTANT APPS OPEN FOR ALL
Instant apps allow brands to preload parts of their apps onto
Google’s cloud, allowing people who don’t have your app to
find it via Google Search and use the portion of your app
that they need.
A NEW DAY FOR CUSTOMER ACQUISITION
Now brands can acquire new customers and re-engage
existing customers via web search in ways that weren’t
feasible before, and give them the positive experiences that
will encourage their decision to download.
GOOGLE’S CLOUD JUST KEEPS GROWING
S O U R C E : A N D R O I D A U T H O R I T Y 2 0 1 6 “A N D R O I D I N S TA N T A P P S L E T S
U S E R S E A S I LY T R Y A P P S W I T H O U T I N S TA L L I N G T H E M ”

27. 2 7
SAFARI TO BLOCK AD RETARGETING
In macOS High Sierra, the desktop version of Safari will stop
websites that users don’t regularly visit from tracking users
around the web and serving ads based on their previous
web activity.
NEW HURDLES FOR MARKETERS IN SAFARI
S O U R C E : G I Z M O D O 2 0 1 7 “ H E R E ’ S H O W S A FA R I W I L L K E E P A D D S F R O M S TA L K I N G YO U A R O U N D T H E I N T E R N E T ”

28. 2 8
ANDROID GO PUTS USERS IN CONTROL OF DATA USAGE
Android Go is designed to allow users to have a fuller mobile
experience in settings where connectivity is limited through a
default Data Saver mode and API that allows devices running
Android Go to give users an ongoing tally of how much data
they’ve used.
GOOGLE BETS ON EMERGING ECONOMIES WITH ANDROID GO
S O U R C E : A N D R O I D G U Y S 2 0 1 7 “ G O O G L E I / O 2 0 1 7 : W H AT I S A N D R O I D G O ? ”

29. 2 9
SO, HOW
CAN BRANDS
GET READY?
1. STAY CURRENT ON WEB AND MOBILE
Adjusting your Android push and App Store ratings
strategies, try web push to reach Safari users, and
investigate Instant Apps.
2. KEEP AN EYE ON SMART SPEAKER NOTIFICATIONS
Right now, it’s just Amazon—but if Google or Apple
start supporting them, that could change everything.
3. INVESTIGATE WHETHER AR/VR CAN SUPPORT
YOUR ENGAGEMENT GOALS
It’s early days—but if you have a clear use case, now’s
the time to start thinking about how to make it work.
4. EXPLORE WHAT’S POSSIBLE NOW WITH AI
Too many brands see AI as a panacea; make sure you
have a realistic understanding.

30. Q&A