Our reporter Qin Xiao reports from Beijing.
The International Consumer Electronics Show (hereinafter referred to as "CES") will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA from January 9 to 12, 2024. AR glasses, which are growing in popularity day by day, are no exception.
According to CES official data, there will be more than 350 exhibitors involved in AR VR XR in 2024, and major VR and AR companies will launch the most advanced AR VR-related equipment, and the relevant industry chain has also announced the construction progress of AR VR-related platforms.
A number of industry insiders said in an interview with a reporter from China Business News that from the CES 2024 exhibition, VR AR technology has once again become the focus of the technology field, and has shown new trends such as lighter, high-definition, and intelligent interaction, especially the combination with AI. As a technological vane every year, the new trend in the VR AR field this year is not only a demonstration of past technology accumulation, but also an exploration of the future development direction.
AI+AR is on the rise
In 2023, the in-depth application of artificial intelligence in various fields will not only change people's lifestyles and work methods, but also lead a new wave of technological innovation. With the rise of AI, human-computer interaction has become a new way of life, and people are no longer satisfied with the traditional human-computer interaction method of PCs, mobile phones and other devices, but are looking forward to a more intelligent, natural and efficient human-computer interaction experience.
The emergence of wearable smart terminals is the best response to this demand. From virtual reality (VR) to augmented reality (AR) to mixed reality (MR), these new devices are bringing unprecedented sensory impacts with their unique interactions and immersive experiences. They are no longer just simple tools, but have become a part of people's lives, making people's lives and work more convenient and efficient.
According to a recent report released by market research agency IDC, it is estimated that the shipments of China's AR market in 2023 will be 240,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 1339%, and it is expected to continue to maintain high growth in 2024, with a growth rate of 101%.
At the same time, IDC has made ** that in 2024, the development trend of "AI+AR" will help eyewear products achieve better NLP (natural language processing) interaction and display screen presentation. High-speed text processing, accurate intelligent Q&A dialogue, accurate semantic understanding, and efficient instruction recognition will all shine in real-time translation, navigation, photography, life assistant and other types of applications. AR hardware manufacturers will parallel the "self-development + cooperation" model, and the hardware in cooperation with large model manufacturers will also be launched one after another, guiding the user to experience, accept, and rely on more efficient and convenient new productivity tools.
This trend can also be seen in CES, where Thunderbird Innovation exhibited the new Thunderbird X2 Lite in 2024 at CES, bringing a combination of "AI+AR". Xreal has also launched the Xreal Air 2 series of new products, in addition to consumer AR glasses manufacturers Thunderbird Innovation and Xreal, Dapeng VR, Pimax Technology, NOLO, Skyworth and other manufacturers are also among them.
Xu Zhenxing, an industry observer, told reporters that the deep integration of AR and AI technology can make the interaction between users and AR glasses, users and the real environment more efficient and natural, expand and extend people's capabilities, and allow users to effectively experience the improvement of work and life efficiency.
It is worth noting that in this new trend of consumer electronics led by AR consumer-grade glasses, Qualcomm may become the "biggest winner".
It is reported that the Thunderbird X2 Lite is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 platform, which integrates Qualcomm's third-generation NPU to provide powerful AI processing capabilities and provide an important computing foundation for large model applications. Xreal also announced that it will collaborate with Qualcomm in the areas of AR, AI and wireless data connectivity (5G).
In fact, before Thunderbird X2 Lite, Thunderbird Innovation has carried out a large number of technical layouts on "AI+AR" products. Earlier, Thunderbird Innovation released the Thunderbird large model middle platform, and based on Thunderbird X2, it launched the self-developed large model voice assistant Rayneo AI (beta version).
Not only that, Qualcomm has also recently launched the second-generation Snapdragon XR2+ platform to empower the development of the AR industry. The platform uses a single-chip architecture and supports 90fps for 4Spatial calculation of 3k display resolution. The second-generation Snapdragon XR2+ has a 15% increase in GPU frequency and a 20% increase in CPU frequency, and can support 12 or more parallel cameras and powerful device-side AI.
Qualcomm told reporters that AI technology will further enhance XR services and applications, pushing the user experience to a new level. For example, AI is crucial for tracking head, hands, and eyeballs in XR applications, voice input, etc., and the combination of 5G and "XR+AI" can also achieve distributed rendering, and users will also feel a truly unfettered XR experience.
Qualcomm believes that the in-depth integration of XR, AI, and 5G will drive a new round of industrial transformation and help many traditional industries upgrade and transform. XR, in turn, will further promote the synergistic development of AI and 5G technologies. Qualcomm is excited to advance XR, AI, 5G and other industries through innovative technologies and global collaborations.
Mass production of the Vision Pro is imminent
During CES, Apple announced that pre-orders for the Apple Vision Pro will begin at 5 a.m. on January 19, 2024, and will be available at all Apple Stores in the U.S. and Apple Stores** in the U.S. starting Friday, February 2. As Apple's promised Vision Pro release node approaches, the AR VR industry is looking forward to the "iPhone moment", which will not only promote the development of the industry, but also pose challenges to the previously active AR VR manufacturers.
Guo Tao, an angel investor and senior artificial intelligence expert, told reporters that for domestic manufacturers, in the face of fierce market competition and the threat of Apple Vision Pro, first of all, it is necessary to increase R&D investment and improve product technology. Domestic manufacturers should continue to improve and innovate the performance and features of VR AR devices to meet users' needs for a high-quality experience. At the same time, they should also pay attention to the development of emerging technologies, such as gesture recognition, eye tracking, and spatial positioning, and apply them to their products to improve their competitiveness.
Zhu Keli, executive director of the China Information Association and founding president of the National Research Institute of New Economy, believes that in the face of strong competitors such as Apple Vision Pro, domestic manufacturers should also remain calm and rational and avoid blindly following the trend or vicious competition. According to their own actual situation and market environment, they should formulate strategies and tactics that are in line with their own development. At the same time, we should actively pay attention to the international market dynamics and technological development trends, and adjust and optimize our products and services in a timely manner.
As for the impact of the mass production of the Apple Vision Pro on the AR VR market, it will undoubtedly be huge. Wang Peng, an associate researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said, "As a global technology giant, Apple's product launch can often lead the market trend. Domestic manufacturers should pay close attention to market dynamics and strengthen technology research and development and product innovation to cope with possible market changes. ”
Among the many suggestions in the industry, strengthening cooperation and industrial chain integration between domestic manufacturers was mentioned the most. Wu Gaobin, vice president and founding secretary general of the Metaverse Working Committee of the Chinese People's Association, said that in the field of AR VR, cooperation between upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain is crucial. Domestic manufacturers should cooperate with enterprises in the fields of hardware, software, and content to form industrial chain advantages and jointly promote the development of the domestic AR VR market.
Guo Tao believes that AR VR manufacturers should strengthen cooperation with content providers. The success of an AR VR device depends largely on the richness and quality of its content. Domestic manufacturers should actively cooperate with game developers, film and television production companies, and other content providers to jointly create high-quality AR VR content to attract more users.
Wang Peng said that it is possible to establish cooperative relations with technology providers and content creators to jointly build a complete VR AR ecological chain and enhance the competitiveness of the entire industry. Overall, at CES 2024, we can expect to see the latest advances and innovations in the VR AR field, but we also need to pay attention to the changes in market dynamics and the competitive landscape in order to respond and adjust in a timely manner.
Editor: Zhang Jingchao Proofreader: Yan Jingning).