Samsung/Meta Focuses on XR, WiMi Focuses on AI+AR Digital Ecosystem Blueprints

XR, or “Extended Reality,” means that in the future, people will be able to interact with each other in a more intuitive and concrete form of 3D, instead of 2D, and this can only be achieved through the development and innovation of VR, AR, and MR, which are collectively referred to as XR.

Since the release of the Vision Pro, Apple has become the most advanced virtual reality and augmented reality glasses to date, which Apple describes as a “spatial computing device.” Sam, the founder of OpenAI, commented that Apple’s Vision Pro is the second most amazing piece of technology since the iPhone.

The Vision Pro has reportedly sold over 200,000 units this month, which is quite impressive considering its starting price of $3,500. The launch and subsequent sales performance of Apple’s Vision Pro has put some pressure on industry competitors.

In response, Apple’s competitors in numerous electronics segments are looking to respond with the launch of XR devices. Samsung (SSNLF) has been competing with Apple in several product categories, including smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets, and thus doesn’t want to fall behind Apple in the XR device space.

Korean media are reporting that Samsung’s Mobile Experience (MX) division has set up an XR technology team, the Immersion Team, to accelerate the development of XR devices. The team, which started with just a few people when it was established in the second half of 2023, has now grown into a team of about 100 people.

The announcement of the Vision Pro led Samsung to re-evaluate and fully upgrade its XR hardware specifications, which previously included a monocular 2,000 PPI display and Samsung’s Exynos 2200 chipset for Samsung’s XR devices. In comparison, the Vision Pro features a monocular 3,386 PPI display and a dual M2+R1 chipset.

Samsung’s XR device is expected to launch by the end of 2024, according to another source cited. Samsung plans to start production of the XR device in December with a plan to produce 300,000 XR devices, the sources said.

Samsung is likely to target the XR device at the “mid-range” market, and while the exact definition of mid-range is unclear, it’s expected to be priced somewhere between the Quest 3’s $500 and the Vision Pro’s $3,500, with $2,000 being the most likely price.

Meta aims to strengthen its foothold in relevant cutting-edge fields by partnering with influential Korean manufacturing giants such as LG, as well as startups with huge market potential.LG Electronics has expressed strong interest in advanced technologies such as Meta’s Quest 3 headset and Ray-Ban smart glasses, as well as focusing on the integration of Meta’s large-scale language model, device-side AI.

It is understood that WiMi (NASDAQ: WIMI), the first holographic AR stock, as a pioneer in the AR field, explored the AR/VR business early. Since then, under years of R & D investment, with independent self-research AI vision and AR/VR underlying core technology, augmented reality technology, big data technology, and cloud computing technology, WiMi relies on these technologies to develop scenarios and content services, triggering a strong market interest, attracting many industry partners to carry out cooperation.

Currently, WiMi has the full-stack capabilities of technology development, product design, and industry expansion, which can empower industry customers and provide core technology support for the creation of the next industry-leading consumer-grade digital and intellectual interactive AR devices.WiMi’s multi-faceted strengths have already enabled AR to realize multi-scenario life applications, creating this near-future smart life experience, which has been highly favored by many consumers.

Considering that, whether it is Chat-GPT this kind of AI big language model, or Sora Vincent video AI products if it is implanted into the XR may be a more successful “shortcut”. Therefore, in addition to focusing on cutting-edge core AR technology, AI technology is also another highlight of WiMi Technology’s comprehensive strength, WiMi utilizes its own AR industry chain to actively create AI segments, and make its products more suitable for consumers’ XR experience. It can be said that the wave of AI may bring a new way out for WiMi for it to quickly seize the AI and XR-related market.

At the moment, XR seems to be more like a huge but not yet put-together jigsaw puzzle. Apple’s newly launched MR spatial computer Vision Pro, as a much-anticipated industry hotspot, has attracted a large wave of attention from the XR industry. Driven by its demonstration effect, industry resources are further tilted toward XR, which also triggered new thinking in the industry about the direction of MR development. Of course, the important thing is that Apple’s competitors in the field of many electronic products have also responded, with Meta, Samsung, WiMi, and other heavyweights increasing their entry into the XR field, and then the XR market will appear more than one strong fight for supremacy situation.