- Despite hurricanes, Floridians refuse to leave 'paradise'
- Israel observes Yom Kippur amid firestorm over Lebanon strikes
- Trump demonizes migrants in dark, misleading speech
- X says 'alert' to manipulation efforts after pro-Russia bots report
- US, European markets rise before Boeing unveils sweeping job cuts
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Comoros shock Tunisia, Salah, Mbeumo strike in AFCON qualifiers
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Germany win in Nations League as 10-man Dutch rescue point
- Undav brace sends Germany to victory against Bosnia
- Israel says fired at 'threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- Ecuador's last mountain iceman dies at 80
- Milton leaves at least 16 dead, millions without power in Florida
- Senegal set to announce breakaway development agenda: PM
- UN says 2 peacekeepers wounded in south Lebanon explosions
- Injury-hit Australia thrash 'embarrassing' Pakistan at Women's T20 World Cup
- Internal TikTok documents show prioritization of traffic over well-being
- Israel says fired at 'immediate threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- New US coach Pochettino hails Pulisic but worries over workload
- Brazil orders closure of 2,000 betting sites
- UK govt urged to raise pro-democracy tycoon's case with China
- Sculptor Lalanne's animal creations sell for $59 mn
- From Tesla to Trump: Behind Musk's giant leap into politics
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- Supercharged hurricanes trigger 'perfect storm' for disinformation
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Djokovic proves staying power as he progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Sheffield Utd boss Wilder 'numb' after Baldock death
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- Fans immerse themselves in Marina Abramovic's first China exhibition
- Israel says conducting review after UN peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Djokovic 'overwhelmed' after 'greatest rival' Nadal's retirement
- Zelensky in Berlin says hopes war with Russia will end next year
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Djokovic proves staying power as progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Hurricane Milton leaves at least 16 dead as Florida cleans up
- Britain face 'ultimate challenge' in America's Cup duel with New Zealand
- Lebanon calls for 'immediate' ceasefire in Israel-Hezbollah war
- Nihon Hidankyo: Japan's A-bomb survivors awarded Nobel
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Boat captain rescued clinging to cooler in Gulf of Mexico after storm Milton
- Tears, warnings after Japan atomic survivors group win Nobel
- 'Unspeakable horror': the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- Christian villagers 'trapped' in south Lebanon crossfire
- Sabalenka sets up Gauff showdown in Wuhan semis
HTC boss welcomes Apple VR competition
The boss of consumer electronics firm HTC on Monday welcomed Apple's launch of its own a mixed reality headset, saying it will help the technology take off and become mainstream.
Apple began sales of Vision Pro, the company's pricey virtual and augmented reality headset on February 2 in company's biggest product launch since the original iPhone went on sale in 2007, putting it in competition with HTC.
Once a major player in the smartphone market, the Taiwanese company has staked its future on the merging of virtual and physical worlds with its HTC Vive line of headsets.
"I think it is good that Apple joined the competition. I mean Apple is a big brand so its good," HTC chief executive and co-founder Cher Wang told AFP at the four-day Mobile World Congress, the telecom industry biggest annual show, which got underway in Barcelona on Monday.
"I think their price is very high but people started to see what you can do" with the technology, she added.
Asked when she thought virtual and augmented reality would become mainstream, Wang said: "It is not going to be too long. Definitely this is an area we believe will be the next internet."
"I think when the price point gets lower and the technology, what we provide, improves further, things will get more ubiquitous," she added.
Sales of virtual and augmented reality headsets have remained modest with critics complaining the devices cause eye strain, mess up the user's hair and often require a clunky battery pack although they are getting lighter.
Most headsets are still mostly used for gaming but Wang said VR is increasingly being used in business settings to simulate work experiences, such as in healthcare such to train surgeons to become more proficient in the operating room as well as to help police learn how to de-escalate violent situations.
"We have been doing quite well in these areas. There are all sorts of applications," she said.
HTC Vive Focus 3 headset are even being used on the International Space Station to help astronauts exercise and give them images of life on Earth during their long stays, Wang said.
"Astronauts talk about how they really miss greenery, the air, butterflies," she said. "It calms down their anxiety because it is such an enclosed space for many, many months."
The IDC consultancy estimates worldwide shipments of augmented reality and virtual reality headsets fell by around 8.3 percent in 2023 to 8.1 million units as rising inflation damped household consumption and business spending slowed.
But it expects shipments to grow by 46.4 percent this year, thanks in part to a "full year's availability" of Apple's Vision Pro "which is expected to bring lots of attention" and Meta's Quest 3 which went on sale in October 2023.
F.Dubois--AMWN