As AR continues to create a beachhead in enterprise and shows promise for consumer AR in the coming years, attention is being paid, not only to the potential applications for AR but also to what impact hardware components will have in the market. According to ABI Research, the AR hardware market is ripe for innovation and transformation especially in the diverging capability demands for displays coming from divergent consumer and enterprise requirements. ABI’s Eric Abbruzzese said:
“The past few years have allowed AR to take root in the enterprise with compelling and unique use cases, including remote expertise and hands-free instruction. As the market matures, there will be a need for greater capability in these AR devices, with displays powering much of the change. Given the growing consumer market interest, the similarities and differences between display types in AR will be increasingly important”.
At a basic level, AR is a digital overlay of content. To accomplish this in a head-worn form factor, transparent display technologies are best, but achieving transparency while maintaining high resolution and brightness along with a low price and usable form factor can be a challenge. Companies like Kopin and Lumus are working to maintain a balance between these factors. Other players are looking to jump the transformative curve with new technologies, such as Avegant and Magic Leap with their light field product prototypes. Microdisplays combined with a transparent waveguide are most common today, with projection-based displays also in use.
According to ABI Research, there will be 32.7 million total smart glasses shipments in 2022, growing from 225,000 in 2017. During this timeframe, two-display devices will overtake single-display devices in market share, ABI believes. While single-display devices are predominant today thanks to their availability, cost and acceptable performance, two-display devices will eventually win out as ASPs decline and device capability is fully realised. The consumer market will play a significant role in this shift as well. Abbruzzese continued:
“As AR demand grows in enterprise and begins in the consumer market, the requirements for smart glasses shift. Generally, an increased desire for higher-performing devices will push the market towards better displays in every category, with some use cases targeting specific needs. Consumer fitness devices will require small form factors and high brightness, suitable for outdoor usage. AR media and entertainment growth will necessitate two-display, 3D-capable devices with high resolution. Devices used in environments with high-safety requirements will favour safety-certified devices with highly transparent displays. As knowledge and comfort with the potential of AR grow, so will expectations and requirements”.
