Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

On Sept. 1, companies such as Apple and Meta are building virtual reality or augmented reality devices, hoping to get a piece of the meta-universe market in the future. But at a time when consumers generally don't know what meta-universe is, their headsets first need to expand their business in the enterprise market.

Consumers still don't know what meta-universe is. Next year, Apple is expected to release the first hybrid reality headset that supports augmented reality and virtual reality, when the competition around the future metaspace market will enter the best part. Apple named the device the Reality One or Reality Pro, an important new product released by Apple since the launch of the Apple Watch in 2014, according to trademark filings.

More importantly, the new device will allow Apple to compete directly with Meta, the parent of Facebook. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Mark Zuckerberg) has invested tens of billions of dollars in building the company into a leader in meta-universe and changed the company's name last October.

But the main problem is that few consumers know what meta-universe is. A survey of 24712 adults conducted by market research firm Forrester shows that only 23% of American adults are familiar with meta-universe. The proportion in Germany has fallen to 14 per cent.

"I think the biggest challenge is... first of all, no one really knows what it is," says Americus Reed, a marketing professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. "it's almost impossible for people to fully understand. The value of it. Why would I do that?"

To change this, Apple and Meta must first introduce new devices to the enterprise market, based on which they will continue to improve their comfort and arouse the interest of ordinary consumers.

The enterprise market is the direction Meta has released Quest and Quest 2 and is currently a leader in headset virtual reality devices. But it is not the only company. Microsoft, Magic Leap and other companies are developing or supplying their own devices.

With Apple's entry, competition in the augmented reality and virtual reality headset market will intensify. Given that consumers still don't know what functions these devices and metasmos can offer, these companies need to prove the value of their products through the enterprise market.

The application prospect of augmented reality, virtual reality technology and meta-universe in enterprises is relatively direct. The relevant equipment can access the operation manual for staff in real time, so that they can compare and check the operation procedures according to the manual in the workplace without having to flip through the notebook or website.

In addition, beginners can use the equipment to video chat with experienced employees, who can guide them remotely through all the complex technical tasks ranging from replacing car fuel pumps to repairing fighter jets.

How can meta universe play a role in the enterprise market? Meta has launched a beta version of Horizon Workrooms software, which allows users to hold virtual meetings in meta-universe and communicate with each other through their own avatars.

Meta's idea is to keep employees in touch wherever they are, replicating the user experience of face-to-face meetings in remote meetings.

Microsoft has a similar product, Microsoft Teams Mesh, which allows users to interact with other users' digital bodies through virtual conference rooms or video chats.

J.P., a research analyst at market research firm Forrester. J.P. Gownder explains: "the market prospect of using virtual reality for training in enterprises is considerable. Mixed reality and augmented reality technologies can be used in field service, telemedicine and training, and these three technologies can also be integrated into professional 3D applications.

"Apple can seize these market opportunities immediately based on its own products and strategies," Gundell added. "but Microsoft has begun to integrate Azure cloud computing into hybrid reality services, and it is getting bigger and bigger. It needs to be emphasized that these companies are both competitive and cooperative."

By contrast, it may be more difficult to attract corporate customers because Meta's business model is too dependent on advertising and its history is controversial. But the advantage of Meta is that the company already has two devices on the market, and Project Cambria is expected to launch next month, putting it ahead of its competitors in hardware.

"over the past 20 years, consumers have tended to ask the company's IT department which devices they want based on their experience with home electronics," Gundell said. " For the meta-universe market, many people will first experience the meta-universe at work. We hope that some of these employees will see the value of meta-universe and start using it in their personal lives. But this process will take several years. "

Convincing consumers that they need time to actively pay for headsets and thus joining meta-universe is still a distant dream. Apart from specially developed games and virtual spaces with social elements, meta-universe, augmented reality and virtual reality technologies currently offer users an experience that is not much different from that of smartphones or televisions.

After all, when a user has a 55-inch 4K TV, it makes no difference to watch movies on a low-resolution headset. Users certainly don't like watching programs on their headsets while eating.

Tuong Nguyen, senior chief analyst at Gartner, a market research firm, said metasmos, augmented reality and virtual reality technologies need to meet three standards: rich in content, easy to use and easy to control. The content must be unique enough to attract consumers from devices such as smartphones and televisions; devices need to win at price in order to be popular; and ease of control has to do with ease of operation.

So how can the metacosmos developed by Apple, Meta and other companies shift from the enterprise market to the consumer market? Reid believes that they may need to pay more attention to the big V people or companies in this field rather than directly advertising.

"people turn a blind eye to advertising these days. They think advertising is lying and think it's a deal," Reid said. "so we need to find ways to connect the corporate market with the Big V in the corporate sector, spread information, and establish dialogue and contact with the consumer market."

In addition, which company has a better advantage in meta-universe, augmented reality and virtual reality? According to some experts, it is Apple. Compared with Meta and Microsoft, which have released hardware and software devices, Apple has more than 1 billion loyal users, although it has not yet released its own devices.

This is a powerful weapon that few competitors can use. However, if the company wants to achieve this goal, it needs to meet the needs of the enterprise first.

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