Google Glass sparks trend

Developer investments in augmented reality applications such as Google (GOOG) Glass are expected to exceed $2.5 bil by ’18, up from $670 mil this year, according to a report from ABI Research. The growth will come as augmented reality applications become a larger part of everyday mobile experiences, including retail and marketing, Dan Shey, practice director for ABI, said in a statement.

Cloud-based computing is expected to be another driver for augmented reality, as the system will allow companies to store and access data over the Web with little need for internal servers. Shares rose 0.8% to 893.49.