One thing that hasn’t stopped since the intrusion of Covid-19 into all of our lives is the development of technology. Looking forward, the years ahead will include mass production of Virtual and Augmented Reality hardware in one of the largest hardware manufacturing hubs in the world.
Recent developments go beyond the smartphone in scale and scope, although smartphones will surely still be used by the end of the decade.
Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality are two related interactive technologies that may yet have the impact on our way of life the way that smartphones have. Ready Player One isn’t so far off and here are three reasons why these devices will play a more significant role in years ahead:
- Batteries are getting smaller, cheaper and more efficient
- 5G networks and network towers are rapidly being built (i.e. quick and continuous internet)
- Flexible screens and screen analogs are becoming cheaper and more efficient
There are many proponents of these devices who want to make it happen, and then cash in on the type of money that the iPhone sees year in and year out. Companies such as Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Intel, Google, Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi are eying the production of both types of devices hungrily, but the refinement of the key components needed to build the devices for a reasonable price is not yet complete. The process will be complete by an anticipated date of 2022-2023. Then the arms race will begin again, and you can bet that there will be low-cost providers of generic AR/VR devices.
Shenzhen is the hardware capital of the world. Most of the electronic components used in consumer electronic devices are manufactured there. People who know how to design components go there to build them for a price as yet unbeatable in the world. That status will not change in the near-term future, despite calls for diversification of suppliers. Factories in places such as Vietnam and Thailand need time to be built, as well as raising the money needed to do so.
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