Opinion
How the Manchester tech scene will change the way mobile apps are built in 2024
Gareth Reese
January 3, 2024
The worker bee is a symbol that’s associated with Manchester around the world. It‘s the perfect representation of the region's collective strength, reflecting the hard work that generations of Mancunians have put in to build this thriving city, irrespective of what’s been thrown at it. The worker bee was first included on the city’s official coat of arms in 1842, and it’s been a mainstay ever since.
While much has changed since 1842, the city’s attitude to hard work and innovation hasn’t, which is why Manchester currently has a thriving £5 billion digital ecosystem that’s rapidly transforming the mobile app development landscape. With an abundance of innovation, emerging technologies, and talented developers, Manchester is poised to play a leading role in shaping the future of app development trends.
How? Let’s take a closer look.
While many people automatically associate London with being the tech capital of the UK, Manchester is no slouch. Media City in Salford Quays is home to BBC studios; Google has offices on Oxford Road; and Amazon has a development centre in the Northern Quarter, which is home to 600 employees. Back in 2019, Amazon also chose the city as one of the few locations in the country to pilot their automated brick-and-mortar stores, so you can see that Manchester and cutting-edge tech go hand in hand.
There are hundreds of tech companies in the city, working on everything from healthcare (Evergreen Life), to AI (Peak), recruitment (Arctic Shores), SaaS (Matillion), AdTech (Powerlinks), and, of course, mobile app development (Foresight Mobile).
Many game-changing tech innovations are shaping Manchester's app development landscape, including:
Manchester's tech scene is at the forefront of adopting and integrating emerging technologies into mobile app development. We’ve been pioneering innovations such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, virtual reality, blockchain, and augmented reality for years to enhance the immersiveness and interactivity of mobile apps around the world.
Manchester has always been a place that encourages innovation and supports people who have the guts to try something new, and mobile app tech is no exception. The city is packed to the rafters with startups that have the groundbreaking ideas, people, cutting-edge equipment, and financial backing to be the next big thing in tech.
But it’s not just the new kids on the block that are being inventive. Established mobile app development companies like Foresight Mobile have been disrupting the mobile app industry for years by creating innovative solutions and redefining how we all interact with mobile devices.
The city as a whole is witnessing a rise in demand for cross-platform app development as business owners seek a quicker, cheaper way to develop apps that can be deployed across multiple platforms. This growing clamour for ‘any screen’ apps, which combine the benefits of web and native app development, is keeping the city’s talented app developers busy.
When it comes to innovation in app development, Manchester's tech scene is built on a foundation of collaboration and talent. Developers, entrepreneurs, and industry experts are working together to foster innovation and drive growth. It’s this collaborative spirit that’s attracting top talent from around the world, making Manchester a magnet for mobile app development expertise.
Manchester's contributions to mobile app development are not confined to the city itself. The city's innovations are having a global impact, shaping the way developers around the world think about app development and how the technology can be used and improved upon. Based upon its current influence on the global mobile app landscape, Manchester’s mark on the global tech scene will only continue to grow exponentially.
Manchester's role in shaping the global mobile app landscape can’t be understated. Its tech scene is a powerhouse of innovation and talent that’s poised to revolutionise the mobile app development landscape in 2024 and beyond.
Foresight Mobile is proud to be a part of Manchester’s technical revolution. The points we’ve made above are why the region has the fastest-growing digital economy in Europe and why investment in Greater Manchester’s tech companies has grown more than 1000% in five years.
If you want your mobile app to be developed by a company that sits right in the heart of one of the most innovative mobile app development cities in the world, then get in touch and tell us about your exciting new project.
