Money has been flowing into virtual reality and
augmented reality, with the latter now catching the eye of investors.
In the last 12 months, $1.8 billion was invested in AR and VR, according to the latest tracking numbers from
Digi-Capital.
However, the last quarter marked the start of a transition from VR-driven investments to the new mobile AR market
Venture capital and corporate investment types are now
looking for mobile AR opportunities, according to Digi-Capital.
In the short term, up to 2019, Apple will have the lead in AR.
However, by 2020, the situation will change, with Google
taking the lead in augmented reality, surpassing Apple’s AR revenue, according to the forecast. Key points from the report:
- Smart glasses remain the long-term future for AR and
VR, but could take into the next decade to become a mass-consumer market
- VR’s market potential has been diminished by the emergence of mobile AR as a rival platform
- Premium
VR might not accelerate until second-generation, standalone VR headsets break out starting in 2019
The big shift is a significant upgrade in the prospects for augmented reality and a
major downgrade for VR.
And that’s the new reality.