Apple, Samsung, Meta, etc. are planning hyper-realistic services one after another
Competition around the augmented reality (XR) market, which encompasses various hyper-realistic technologies and services such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR), is heating up.
In particular, since Apple is creating a new wind in the XR market with its ‘Vision Pro’ MR headphones, the world’s attention is focused on what the XR ecosystem that Samsung Electronics, which is considered a rival, will be. was built with Google and Qualcomm will look like. According to the information and communication technology industry on the 9th, Samsung Electronics is accelerating the development of a new XR device that is scheduled to be released by the end of this year at the earliest.
The new XR device has a Qualcomm chipset and a Google operating system (OS) to implement powerful new concept functions, but its main specifications are hidden under tight security. Previously, Samsung Electronics signed partnerships with Google and Qualcomm to build the XR ecosystem at the ‘Galaxy Unpacked’ held in San Francisco in February.
At the time, Roh Tae-moon, head of the MX division at Samsung Electronics (president), said, “One company alone cannot create a new ecosystem.” Google, which is good at mobile services, OS and services, will join to create a proper ecosystem.”
Sameer Samat, vice president of product management at Google, confirmed the collaboration with Samsung Electronics at the annual meeting of Google developers (I / O) last month and said, “We will be able to share more information at the end of the year.” Although little is known about product information, predictions are coming in as the patents and trademarks applied for by Samsung Electronics at the Korean Intellectual Property Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) were revealed between February and May this year.
According to the leaked patent, Samsung Electronics seems to be putting more emphasis on AR glasses than VR headsets. It emphasizes connectivity with Galaxy devices such as smartphones, watches, and buzzes, and also considers the ‘SmartThings’ smart home platform. As for the product name, it is likely that ‘Galaxy Glassis’ or ‘Galaxy Space’ will be mentioned.
In the industry, there is hope that the XR ecosystem will open in earnest from the first half of next year when Samsung Electronics and Apple enter the market in earnest. Although the price is a little high and it is still uncomfortable to wear, industry experts analyze that innovation competition will be promoted as key players enter the market en masse.
A few days before Apple’s new product announcement, Meta threw a check by announcing the release of the ‘Quest 3’ VR headset in the second half of the year. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, emphasized in an interview with ABC shortly after the release of the Vision Pro, “This is the engineering of the future, and it will be a turning point for Apple.”
However, the fact that the XR market has entered a period of stagnation is considered a variable. Taiwanese market research company TrendForce predicted that shipments of AR/VR headsets this year would decrease by 18.2% year-on-year to 7.45 million units, and that the growth trajectory of the AR/VR headset market would reach certain limits by 2025.
Shipments of the Apple Vision Pro next year, which has gathered market expectations, are expected to be between 200,000 and 300,000 units. It is far less than the iPhone, which sells tens of millions of units every quarter. There is also a pessimistic prediction that some will step on a similar train to ‘3D TV’, which attracted attention but failed to standardise. An industry insider said, “If a product is even slightly flimsy, consumers’ desire to buy diminishes.”
Reporter Seo Jae-chang of Helloty |
