Augmented Reality (AR) (2024) - Thematic Research

Imagine wearing a pair of glasses with the computing power of a smartphone, activated by your voice, which recognizes what you see, where you are, and the context in which you are operating. While such a world is some years away from reality, first-mover advantage in AR is such a valuable prize that every large technology company is investing significantly in this theme.

Ultimately, AR technology may replace the smartphone as the primary connected device users carry around. Moreover, AR will be a critical component of the metaverse - the next mega-theme that Big Tech has in its sights.

Key Highlights

According to the publisher's forecasts, the AR market will be worth $100 billion by 2030, up from $22 billion in 2022. AR software will generate most of this revenue, with limited spending on AR headsets and AR smart glasses.

AR is evolving into a utility in specific consumer and enterprise applications. On the consumer front, AR is primarily used in social media, gaming, and ecommerce. While Pokémon Go and Snapchat Lenses have helped popularize AR as a tool for entertainment, ecommerce is using it as a utility.

The adoption of AR by enterprises is also advancing in sectors such as retail, healthcare, and manufacturing, mainly for user experience, training, and remote collaboration. Businesses will continue to adopt AR in the coming years, but the high cost of headsets and smart glasses will hinder widespread adoption in the short term. In terms of end users, the enterprise AR segment is dominant and will maintain its lead over the forecast period.

Scope

This report provides an overview of the augmented reality theme.

It identifies the key trends impacting growth of the theme over the next 12 to 24 months, split into four categories: technology trends, macroeconomic trends, regulatory trends, and media trends.

It includes comprehensive industry analysis, including forecasts for augmented reality revenues to 2030. These forecasts are split by end-user (consumer and enterprise) and platform (hardware and software). There is also market share information for the AR smart glasses and AR headsets markets.

It contains details of M&A deals driven by the augmented reality theme, and a timeline highlighting milestones in the development of augmented reality.

The detailed value chain shows comprises five segments: semiconductors, components, devices, platforms, and applications and content. Leading and challenging vendors are identified across all five segments.

Reasons to Buy

AR is still developing as a technology but is beginning to move into the mainstream. Leading tech companies are scrambling to build sustainable AR ecosystems and gain a foothold in this potentially lucrative market, while specialist firms focus on areas like content development. This report tells you need to know about AR, including market forecasts to 2030 and profiles of the leading companies.