Based on the newest rumors, Apple will unveil its first AR/VR headset in three months at WWDC. Present gamers within the combined actuality headset business are prepping for Apple’s entrance into the house, together with HTC CEO and co-founder Cher Wang.
In an interview with CNBC, Wang mentioned that she believes Apple will unveil its combined actuality headset “very quickly,” someday “center or later this yr.” Regardless of the added competitors, nevertheless, Wang mentioned that she views Apple’s entrance as a sign the AR/VR headset market has reached a sure threshold of dimension.
“Apple is all the time extra cautious. I feel the market is now sufficiently big that they in all probability will enter,” Wang mentioned. “It’s actually confirmed that our course is right. Competitors is all the time good.”
After as soon as being a pacesetter in smartphones, HTC has pivoted its focus to AR/VR headsets with its Vive lineup of merchandise. Knowledge from Counterpoint Analysis, cited by CNBC, means that HTC shipped round 100,000 combined actuality merchandise in Q2 2022, up from 40,000 in Q1 2021.
9to5Mac’s Take
We’ll should examine again in a few years and see how the AR/VR market has taken form after Apple’s foray. Nonetheless, I’m hesitant anytime an organization brazenly welcomes competitors from Apple into what’s a comparatively small product class.
Meta, in the meantime, not too long ago introduced main value modifications for its Quest 2 and Quest Professional VR headsets, with the previous dropping from $489 to $429 and the latter dropping from $1,499 to $999. These value modifications come as Meta’s Actuality Labs division misplaced a whopping $13.7 billion in 2022.
Whether or not or not Meta’s value modifications are in response to the looming menace of Apple’s headset is unknown. Apple’s headset may very well be priced as excessive as $3,000, so even with out the worth cuts, Meta’s {hardware} is only a fraction of the price of Apple’s.
What do you consider the competitors inside the AR/VR headset world? Will Meta and HTC profit from Apple’s competitors? Tell us within the feedback.
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