Regardless of low gross sales, the Apple Vision Pro is reportedly shaking up the VR/MR business and transferring the development of headsets from leisure to productiveness and innovation.

The worldwide VR and MR headset market is predicted to develop steadily in 2024, with shipments projected to succeed in 9.6 million items, an 8.8% enhance year-over-year, in line with a new report by TrendForce. Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, regardless of moderate growth, is setting new requirements.

Launched in 2024, Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional has already claimed 5% of the market, a major achievement given its excessive worth. Beginning at $3,499, the Imaginative and prescient Professional shouldn’t be positioned as a mass-market system however moderately as a high-end product aimed toward professionals and early adopters.

Compared, Meta dominates with a 73% market share, largely because of its reasonably priced Quest 3S, which retails for simply $299.

Sony’s PS VR2 claimed the second-largest market share in 2024, holding 9% of the VR/MR market. To develop its attain, the corporate tried to combine the headset with PC platforms utilizing adapters.

Nonetheless, the PS VR2’s efficiency has been restricted by an absence of performance and apps. Because of this, Sony’s annual shipments noticed a 25% year-over-year decline.

Headset expertise

Considered one of Imaginative and prescient Professional’s most notable options is its OLEDoS (OLED on Silicon) show, a expertise that gives distinctive visible high quality, readability, and precision for near-eye experiences. Not like conventional LCD-based shows present in most headsets, OLEDoS presents greater resolutions, richer colours, and deeper blacks.

Pie chart showing 2024 VR/MR device market shares: Meta Quest 73%, Sony PS VR2 9%, Apple Vision Pro 5%, Others 13%.
Market share of VR headsets. Picture credit score: Trendforce

Nonetheless, the usage of OLEDoS additionally contributes to the headset’s steep worth. To develop its market attain, Apple must undertake various show applied sciences sooner or later.

TrendForce means that by 2026, Apple may launch a successor to the high-end model and a extra reasonably priced mainstream mannequin.

Actual-world utilization

Since its February 2024 launch, the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional has rapidly discovered its means into working rooms within the US and worldwide. Surgeons are already exploring its potential, together with Santiago Horgan, a pioneer in robotically assisted gastric-bypass surgical procedure.

Horgan, who leads the Heart for the Way forward for Surgical procedure at UC San Diego, has turn out to be a robust advocate for the Imaginative and prescient Professional’s worth to each sufferers and surgeons. In an interview, he in contrast its affect to the robotic software he first utilized in 2000, describing it as a equally transformative expertise.

“This is similar degree of revolution,” Horgan defined, “however will affect extra lives due to the entry to it.” His assertion displays the Imaginative and prescient Professional’s skill to democratize superior instruments by providing intuitive, high-quality options in surgical settings.

And in Brazil, Dr. Bruno Gobbato used Imaginative and prescient Professional throughout a shoulder arthroscopy to entry affected person exams and 3D fashions in actual time, enhancing surgical precision. He beforehand used HoloLens however discovered Imaginative and prescient Professional’s superior digital camera decision and dealing with of shiny surgical lights to be a major development.

Surgeons have been early adopters of the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional as a result of its high-resolution show supplies distinctive readability for affected person information and imaging, essential throughout advanced procedures. At $3,499, it is extra reasonably priced than conventional surgical screens, which may value as much as $30,000. And its ergonomic design and real-time information entry could enhance precision and lowering bodily pressure throughout operations.

On the College of California, San Diego, surgeons have built-in the headset into over 20 minimally invasive procedures. Christopher Longhurst, Chief Scientific and Innovation Officer at UC San Diego Well being, famous that the system’s value is minimal in comparison with conventional surgical screens.

“So $3,500 for a headset is like price range mud within the healthcare setting,” Dr. Longhurst stated.

Whereas most VR headsets have been targeted on gaming and leisure, Apple positions Imaginative and prescient Professional as a multi-functional software. Past consuming content material, customers can work on paperwork, maintain digital conferences, and take part in specialised apps in healthcare and training.


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