Apple hasn’t made a major product introduction since it rolled out the Apple Watch in 2015, but with its “Reality Pro” mixed-reality headset, expected to retail for $3,000, the company will be entering into a market that has so far failed to catch on with mainstream consumers.
Apple has a history, though, of turning technology categories into trends, and a team of Goldman Sachs analysts says the company might be able to work its magic again with the Reality Pro headset.
“Although we recognize that the [augmented/virtual reality] industry as a whole has generally been disappointing, we believe that Apple’s potential AR/VR headset can succeed where others may have not, given Apple’s points of differentiation relative to competing headset manufacturers,” wrote the analysts led by Michael Ng.
One advantage for Apple is that it has an installed base of more than 1.1 billion active iPhone users who are potential consumers for the new headset. The company can also lean on its large developer base to create compelling content for the device, while itself translating crucial first-party apps like Facetime, Apple TV+ and Apple Music to mixed reality.
“Notably, non-gaming use cases should serve as a point of differentiation for Apple, where we believe that Apple is even more competitively advantaged relative to incumbent virtual reality headsets and ecosystems,” the Goldman team wrote.
The analysts give the example of potential “immersive sports” experiences making use of Apple’s deals for MLB Friday Night Baseball and MLS Season Pass.
MacDailyNews Take: Earlier this month, our Little birdie told us that one selling point of Apple’s mixed-reality headset will be attending live and recorded concerts remotely. Buy a ticket, for significantly less than in-person, and the headset will “as much as possible, be like being there – with extras like changing seat positions.” Apple’s launch last week of new concert discovery and set lists features on Apple Maps and Apple Music lays part of the foundation.
Goldman analysts estimate the “Reality Pro” and successors will contribute $11 billion – $20 billion to Apple’s annual revenue between fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2028.
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