Welcome to the WeChat subscription number of “Sina Technology”: techsina
Posted by Joey
Source/New Zhiyuan (ID: AI_era)
[Introduction to Xinzhiyuan] In recent years, Meta has been flourishing in the field of virtual reality in the Metaverse, but in fact it is losing money and persevering.
Meta has been sitting on the top spot in the VR market for several years.
However, its status may change in the future.
If Meta’s strategy in the VR market remains the same, it may not be able to remain competitive in the mixed reality industry in the long run, according to a recent VR industry statistical forecast released by IDC (International Data Corporation).
Meta loses money and engages in the Metaverse
“While Meta insists on investing in developing the metaverse, a strategy of promoting low-cost hardware at the expense of profitability is not feasible,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager at IDC.
Ming-Chi Kuo, known as “the most accurate Apple analyst in history” and currently an analyst at KGI Securities in Taiwan, also made similar comments.
He has accurately predicted Apple’s new product release information many times, making Guo Mingchi the “best Apple analyst” and a reliable source of news for the media.
Armed with insider intelligence, he predicts that Meta will scale back its investment in the virtual reality business. He believes that Meta’s practice of selling VR headsets at a loss is unsustainable.
Meta further expanded its presence in 2022, taking the top spot with a 90% market share.
Its Quest2 line of products is still very popular, and Meta will continue to develop more product lines, while subsidizing the price of the hardware.
Meta is followed by ByteDance’s Pico with a 4.5% share.
While Pico operates primarily within China, it still has a presence in many global markets, and combined with its recent expansion into European markets and a growing library of consumer-friendly content should help the company attract more in the coming quarters audience.
The remaining shares of DPVR, HTC and iQiyi combined are less than 4%.
Data shows that in the first quarter of 2022, VR headset shipments increased by 241.6% year-on-year. While the industry faced major supply issues in the first quarter of 2021, it provided a “favorable contrast” for growth this year.
Source: IDC2021Q4 World AR/VR Headset Shipment ReportVR shipments are expected to grow further in 2023, with full-year shipments expected to reach 13.9 million units, an increase of 26.6%.
Apple VR glasses are coming, can Meta keep the top spot?
However, 2023 will be a pivotal year for the virtual reality industry, as Meta, Pico and Sony’s next-generation headsets are expected to launch alongside Apple’s headsets, all advertised as offering users an MR experience.
Apple’s first VR glasses next year could change the market, said Ramon Llamas, research director for IDC’s augmented and virtual reality group.
All eyes will be on Apple next year when it unveils its first VR headset. While it’s easy to imagine the company shipping a lot, keep in mind that this is its first headset and will primarily appeal to a small group of early adopters and Apple fans.
Apple showed its upcoming AR/VR device to board members last week, suggesting the device is in advanced development and could debut in the near future, Bloomberg reported on May 20.
Apple has also accelerated development of software to run on the headset, which is expected to be called “RealityOS,” or ROS for short.
It will feature two 4K tiny OLED displays, 15 camera modules, a powerful processor on par with M-series chips, eye tracking, gesture support, spatial audio and other features, and is expected to cost around $3,000 at its initial launch.
Apple has reportedly been working on releasing the headset since 2019, but has seen multiple delays in 2020 and 2021. Apple has been dealing with issues such as overheating and camera and software issues that have pushed the debut date several times.
Bloomberg says we could see AR/VR headsets as early as the end of this year, though a release to consumers is planned by 2023.
AR/VR headsets will be Apple’s first major new category since the launch of the Apple Watch seven years ago in 2015.
Apple is expected to follow the AR/VR headset with a second-generation version and a set of augmented reality smart glasses.
(Disclaimer: This article only represents the author’s point of view and does not represent the position of Sina.com.)
This article is reproduced from: http://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/csj/2022-07-10/doc-imizmscv0882077.shtml
This site is for inclusion only, and the copyright belongs to the original author.