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https://www.counterpointresearch.com/global-smartwatch-shipments-market-share/ https://www.counterpointresearch.com/global-smartwatch-shipm... If it follows th

https://www.counterpointresearch.com/global-smartwatch-shipments-market-share/ https://www.counterpointresearch.com/global-smartwatch-shipm... If it follows the Apple Watch, then it will be the undisputed market leader in the product segment, which honestly I think it will. The competition is very weak. Meta's efforts have largely failed with the MetaVerse and their whole ecosystem seams very stagnant. Valve and HTC aren't doing much in this space. Sony's PSVR is promising, but it is completely locked into the PlayStation ecosystem, so I see it being limited just to first person games for the most part. Microsoft has completely abandoned the consumer market with HoloLens and prefer to sell very expensive headsets to industry and the military instead. This is a very ripe market for Apple to disrupt if they can execute well. Very reminiscent of the smart watch market before the Apple Watch.

smoldesu 4y ago
I'm not sure if I agree. What is there to disrupt? Really think about that statement for a minute. Maybe telepresence if you market it right, but the money is all in gaming and social use. And if you're gonna buy a headset, would you rather get the $300 one with Beat Saber and VR Chat, or cough up $3,000 for FaceTime in VR? I think Meta has done all they can here. It's frankly a shock they managed to sell over 10 million Quest units, it would be a miracle if Apple can ship over a million at the price they're considering. Even if they do get the coveted iPhone-level install-base (fat chance), Apple cut ties with industry standards like OpenXR and SteamVR years ago. Their entire ecosystem will have to get built up from scratch, and they'll also have to fend off competitors selling units at literally 10% of the price. For Apple to become the undisputed market leader in this product segment, they'd need a lot more than just a headset that exists. This project is looking less Apple Watch and more Apple Newton.
- dev_tty01 4y ago
  Well said. There is no Apple-scale market to disrupt. If the largest market for the wearable remains as gaming, Apple is in a very poor position since they have always only begrudgingly embraced gaming. This isn't about disruption, this is about creating a new market. If I think of myself as an example, I don't have interest in the gaming angle. If it is comfortable enough and the experience is great, I might buy it for telepresence, if for no other reason than richer visits with my children on the other side of the country. Maybe there is some other use I would buy into, but I'm sure not seeing it yet.
  - smoldesu 4y ago
    We'll have to see. Personally, I'm hoping Apple uses it as an excuse to patch up industry relations. If Apple/Safari embraced OpenXR, we could see that 'next frontier' of web content that everyone has been preaching since 2007. Working with the industry seems like it could stand to make a lot more money for Apple. As a Quest competitor it's a hard pill to swallow, but as a high-quality dev kit for cross-platform VR/AR experiences, it could carve a lucrative new segment for itself.
  - illiarian 4y ago
    > Apple is in a very poor position since they have always only begrudgingly embraced gaming. On the other hand they wholeheartedly embraced gaming on mobile (their AppStore page is nothing but gaming, realy), so who knows
- Dr_Birdbrain 4y ago
  That’s funny, because I wouldn’t buy a Quest, but I was just thinking I would LOVE FaceTime in AR, so I could take calls and meetings while walking in the park. I already do that but I have to use a hand to hold my phone.
JKCalhoun 4y ago
> If it follows the Apple Watch At $3000 it is already nothing like the Apple Watch. That's the real deal breaker that I see.
HDThoreaun 4y ago
Meta's offering is 10 times cheaper. This price tag brings the headset out of reach for at least 95% of people right out the gate.

smoldesu 4y ago

I'm not sure if I agree. What is there to disrupt? Really think about that statement for a minute. Maybe telepresence if you market it right, but the money is all in gaming and social use. And if you're gonna buy a headset, would you rather get the $300 one with Beat Saber and VR Chat, or cough up $3,000 for FaceTime in VR? I think Meta has done all they can here. It's frankly a shock they managed to sell over 10 million Quest units, it would be a miracle if Apple can ship over a million at the price they're considering. Even if they do get the coveted iPhone-level install-base (fat chance), Apple cut ties with industry standards like OpenXR and SteamVR years ago. Their entire ecosystem will have to get built up from scratch, and they'll also have to fend off competitors selling units at literally 10% of the price. For Apple to become the undisputed market leader in this product segment, they'd need a lot more than just a headset that exists. This project is looking less Apple Watch and more Apple Newton.

dev_tty01 4y ago
Well said. There is no Apple-scale market to disrupt. If the largest market for the wearable remains as gaming, Apple is in a very poor position since they have always only begrudgingly embraced gaming. This isn't about disruption, this is about creating a new market. If I think of myself as an example, I don't have interest in the gaming angle. If it is comfortable enough and the experience is great, I might buy it for telepresence, if for no other reason than richer visits with my children on the other side of the country. Maybe there is some other use I would buy into, but I'm sure not seeing it yet.
- smoldesu 4y ago
  We'll have to see. Personally, I'm hoping Apple uses it as an excuse to patch up industry relations. If Apple/Safari embraced OpenXR, we could see that 'next frontier' of web content that everyone has been preaching since 2007. Working with the industry seems like it could stand to make a lot more money for Apple. As a Quest competitor it's a hard pill to swallow, but as a high-quality dev kit for cross-platform VR/AR experiences, it could carve a lucrative new segment for itself.
- illiarian 4y ago
  > Apple is in a very poor position since they have always only begrudgingly embraced gaming. On the other hand they wholeheartedly embraced gaming on mobile (their AppStore page is nothing but gaming, realy), so who knows
Dr_Birdbrain 4y ago
That’s funny, because I wouldn’t buy a Quest, but I was just thinking I would LOVE FaceTime in AR, so I could take calls and meetings while walking in the park. I already do that but I have to use a hand to hold my phone.

JKCalhoun 4y ago

> If it follows the Apple Watch At $3000 it is already nothing like the Apple Watch. That's the real deal breaker that I see.

HDThoreaun 4y ago

Meta's offering is 10 times cheaper. This price tag brings the headset out of reach for at least 95% of people right out the gate.