AR/VR startups are counting on Apple's upcoming mixed reality headset —set to be unveiled on Monday next week— to revive the industry. Per WSJ, several startups struggled last year to raise funding after the investors' interest in the AR/VR domain waned. Investors' interest has been piqued again by the rumors surrounding Apple's latest product. - Acequia Capital's venture partner Todd Hooper said, "I think VR will be up for a renaissance with Apple."
- Apple's headset has reportedly been in development for the past seven years.
- It is expected to be launched with a $3,000 price tag, with initial estimates for shipments at launch ranging between 200,000 to 300,000, per Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
- Grant Anderson, the founder of a virtual tabletop-game startup Mirrorscape, said, "It's kind of a make or break moment because Apple, out of any company in the world, has the ability to make this a must-have consumer item."
Investors' interest in the AR/VR domain has ebbed and flowed over the recent years, mostly driven by Facebook's acquisition of VR headset maker Oculus for $2B and its rebranding to Meta Platforms. - VCs invested $4.8B into VR startups in 2022, down a quarter from its peak of $6.3B in 2019, per Pitchbook.
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