"Top 10 AR/VR Market Predictions for 2021" Released

 IDC released the "Top 10 AR/VR Market Predictions for 2021". IDC predicts that in 2021, AR/VR will quickly penetrate into segmented vertical industries, and it is expected that hardware headsets landing on the B-side will account for more than 70%; thin and light head-mounted products are more easily accepted by ordinary consumers, and are expected to become an important head-mounted display product form in 2021;

In 2021, 20%-30% of young consumers across the country will experience offline VR games in shopping malls; due to the wide range of applications, the AR field is significantly more attractive to investment, especially the AR hardware field, which will still be the focus of investment and financing in 2021.

details as follows:

Prediction 1: IDC VR/AR market tracking report shows that, unlike other markets in other regions of the world, the shipment share of AR/VR headsets in the B-end of the Chinese market is significantly higher than that in the C-end. In K12, higher education, vocational education and various training scenarios, VR headsets and solutions have played an irreplaceable role: enriching teaching methods, making up for the lack of scenarios, and avoiding uncontrollable risks. Major manufacturers are accelerating their efforts to deepen their presence in the education market, and the application of vertical industries such as manufacturing and medical care is also supported by the commercial use of 5G. In 2021, AR/VR will penetrate rapidly in segmented vertical industries, and it is expected that hardware headsets on the B-end will account for more than 70%.

Prediction 2: Starting from 2019, manufacturers have launched ultra-thin VR headsets one after another. In the short-term new product launch plan, thin VR headsets have become the eye-catching highlight of the market. Thin and light head-mounted products are more easily accepted by ordinary consumers and are expected to become an important head-mounted display product form in 2021.

Prediction 3: In 2020, leading manufacturers will launch 6DOF technology all-in-one VR devices. More accurate positioning and smaller latency will make the perceptual interaction experience of C-end players richer. Games and videos are the two most important application scenarios for VR C-end headsets. The upgrade from 3DoF to 6DoF has significantly improved the hardware experience and helped to increase the appeal of VR devices among C-end consumers. IDC predicts that in 2021, 20%-30% of young consumers in China will play games in offline VR games in shopping malls.

Prediction 4: Apple is planning to launch AR glasses in 2021 or 2022. The iPhone 12 pro launched by Apple in October is equipped with LiDAR, and the Apple pencil will be equipped with multiple cameras to match smart glasses or HMD. New products will have AR-related elements one after another. The entry of giants is expected to drive more capital inflow and promote the iteration of AR products.

Prediction 5: From a geographical perspective, China's AR/VR spending will reach $6.6 billion in 2020, accounting for more than 54.7% of the global market share, making it the country with the largest spending. The focus is on the consumer sector and the distribution and service sector. This trend will continue in 2021. IDC predicts that in 2021, PRC's AR/VR spending will account for 56% of the world's total.

Prediction 6: Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020, the number and amount of investment and financing events in the AR/VR field showed a significant year-on-year decline, and there were obvious signs of recovery in the second half of the year. Due to the wide range of applications, the AR field is significantly more attractive to investment, especially the AR hardware field, which will continue to be the focus of investment and financing in 2021.

Prediction 7: In 2020, the leading VR manufacturers have successively launched C-end all-in-one headsets priced at around US$300, and the price has dropped significantly. It is closer to the consumption capacity and price expectations of ordinary consumers for VR headsets. Price reduction will become the mainstream trend of VR C-end all-in-one products in 2021.

Prediction 8: Although AR and VR are moving in completely different technical paths, products that can implement both VR and AR technologies are worth looking forward to. Leading manufacturers have begun to explore the switching of AR/VR functions on the same terminal product. In 2021, the complementarity of AR and VR technologies will become an inevitable trend.

预测 9：5G、云计算与 AI 为 VR 行业提供了强大的基础设施，加速了 VR 在商用领域的落地进程。VR 在软件、硬件和内容等领域已经取得了显著突破，而数据成为了 VR 厂商竞争的关键。未来无论是三维空间重建还是深度 AI 应用，2021 年，更大体量和更细颗粒度的数据是 VR 在商用领域持续发展的根基。

Prediction 10: At present, VR has been widely used in real estate transactions, retail, home decoration, culture and tourism, security, education and medical fields. In the future, with the continuous improvement of the VR industry chain and the accumulation of rich data, VR will be fully integrated with the industry, thereby demonstrating a powerful flywheel effect, rapidly driving industry changes, giving birth to more business models and creating more business value.