Augmented Reality (AR) - Thematic Research

Augmented Reality (AR) - Thematic Research

Summary

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

  • The AR market, worth $7bn in 2020, will generate revenues of $152bn by 2030, according to GlobalData estimates. Clearly, the threat to the smartphone market is not imminent. Indeed, smartphones are used to support AR applications in both the consumer and enterprise markets.
  • 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. In addition, upcoming metaverse platforms will integrate AR-related technologies, helping to bring AR to the fore.
  • In a GlobalData survey conducted in Q2 2021, respondents perceived AR as the most disruptive technology, ahead of artificial intelligence. COVID-19 has fueled enterprise adoption of AR across sectors such as healthcare, law enforcement, and manufacturing, mainly for remote collaboration. Businesses will continue to adopt AR in the coming years, but the high cost of headsets and smart glasses will be a barrier to widespread adoption in the short term. However, by 2030, enterprises will account for the largest share of the AR market by revenue.
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.


  • Executive summary
  • Players
    • Table Figure 1: Who are the leading players in the AR theme and where do they sit in the value chain?
  • Technology briefing
    • Table Figure 2: There are four main types of AR
    • Table Figure 3: How do AR apps work on smartphones?
    • 3D cameras
      • Table Figure 4: There are four types of depth cameras for use in AR devices
    • Displays
      • Table Figure 5: Monocular displays
      • Table Figure 6: Binocular displays
    • Eye tracking
      • Table Figure 7: Eye tracking
    • Motion tracking
      • Table Figure 8: Motion tracking
    • Facial recognition
      • Table Figure 9: Facial recognition
    • Localization and mapping
      • Table Figure 10: Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM)
  • Trends
    • Technology trends
      • Table Technology trends
    • Macroeconomic trends
      • Table Macroeconomic trends
    • Regulatory trends
      • Table Regulatory trends
    • Media trends
      • Table Media trends
  • Industry analysis
    • Market size and growth forecasts
      • Table Figure 11: AR will generate $152bn in revenue by 2030
      • Table Figure 12: Enterprise AR will be more lucrative than the consumer market over the next decade
      • Table Figure 13: AR software will dominate the market over the forecast period
      • AR software
        • Table Figure 14: The AR software market will generate over $100bn by 2030
      • AR hardware
        • Table Figure 15: The AR hardware market will be worth $52bn by 2030
        • Table Figure 16: Enterprises will drive the AR hardware market
    • Competitive analysis
      • Table Figure 17: Google and Microsoft are dominant in AR smart glasses and AR headsets, respectively
    • Patent trends
      • Table Figure 18: AR is seeing strong patent activity
    • Company filings trends
      • Table Figure 19: Companies are increasingly mentioning AR in their filings
    • Use cases
      • Retail
        • Table Figure 20: AR in retail
      • Logistics
        • Table Figure 21: AR in logistics
      • Healthcare
        • Table Figure 22: AR in healthcare
      • Law enforcement
        • Table Figure 23: AR in law enforcement
      • Defense
        • Table Figure 24: AR in defense
      • Manufacturing
        • Table Figure 25: AR in manufacturing
    • Mergers and acquisitions
      • Table Mergers and acquisitions
    • Timeline
      • Table Figure 26: The AR story
  • Value chain
    • Table Figure 27: The augmented reality value chain
    • Semiconductors
      • CPUs
      • GPUs
      • VPUs
      • Image processors
      • Communication chips
      • MEMS
      • Memory chips
        • Table Figure 28: AR value chain - Semiconductors
    • Components
      • Motion tracking
      • Batteries
      • Displays
      • Cameras and 3D lenses
      • Audio components
      • Machine vision
        • Table Figure 29: AR value chain - Components
    • Devices
      • Smartphones
      • AR smart glasses
      • AR headsets
        • Table Figure 30: AR value chain - Devices
    • Platforms
      • Table Figure 31: AR value chain - Platforms
      • AI
        • Table Figure 32: AR value chain - Platforms - The AI technology stack
    • Apps and content
      • Table Figure 33: AR value chain - Apps and content
  • Companies
    • Table Companies
  • Sector scorecards
    • Consumer electronics sector scorecard
      • Who's who
        • Table Figure 34: Who does what in the consumer electronics space?
      • Thematic screen
        • Table Figure 35: Thematic screen - Consumer electronics sector scorecard
      • Valuation screen
        • Table Figure 36: Valuation screen - Consumer electronics sector scorecard
      • Risk screen
        • Table Figure 37: Risk screen - Consumer electronics sector scorecard
    • Gaming sector scorecard
      • Who's who
        • Table Figure 38: Who does what in the gaming space?
      • Thematic screen
        • Table Figure 39: Thematic screen - Gaming sector scorecard
      • Valuation screen
        • Table Figure 40: Valuation screen - Gaming sector scorecard
      • Risk screen
        • Table Figure 41: Risk screen - Gaming sector scorecard
  • Glossary
    • Table Glossary
  • Further reading
    • GlobalData reports
      • Table GlobalData reports
  • Our thematic research methodology
    • Table Figure 42: Our five-step approach for generating a sector scorecard
  • About GlobalData
  • Contact Us

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