Apple launched its first-ever AR/VR headset, the Vision Pro, earlier this year. Since its release, the device started gaining popularity, resulting in excellent sales numbers. Despite some hiccups here and there and issues with the trademark in China, Apple plans to make its headset available in more regions.
Now, a new study suggests that the Apple Vision Pro will continue to sell like hot cake and is already helping all headsets, even if they are still too expensive for many customers. According to IDC, the introduction of the Apple Vision Pro grabbed a lot of headlines, raising the awareness of the whole headset industry.
Jitesh Ubrani, research manager, says: “Along with Apple, many companies such as Meta and others have already begun their journey, transitioning from VR to Mixed Reality, ultimately laying the groundwork for true AR experiences.”
Although Mark Zuckerberg claims that his company’s Meta Quest 3 headgear is the “better product, period,” Apple will be the one to drive sales growth for the company, according to the report.
IDC research director Ramon T. Llamas says: “Mixed reality (commonly referred to as MR, the ability for users to toggle between augmented and virtual reality) has been the exception and not the norm, but Apple has shone a bright light on MR with the Vision Pro.”
Apple’s successful adoption of the Mixed Reality gadget is revolutionizing the headgear market. Prior to the release of the Apple Vision Pro, most headsets were either completely virtual reality or combined with digital elements to create augmented reality.
Moreover, the report states that Global shipments of AR and VR headsets dropped down to 23.5% in 2023. Nonetheless, by the end of 2024, it anticipates shipments to increase by 44.2% to 9.8 million units.
IDC states new yet-to-be-released headsets will boost growth before the year ends. Moreover, the number of VR headsets will reach 24.7 million by 2028, while the number of AR headsets will reach 10.9 million.
According to the report, the surge will occur when people start using headsets for content creation rather than just content consumption. Moreover, it also predicts that companies will use AI even more frequently in headset content production.