The News: Qualcomm recently opened its Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform for global developers to download. Introduced in late 2021, the platform offers proven technology and an open-cross-device horizontal platform and ecosystem to bring developers ideas to life and revolutionize the possibilities of AR. Read the full Qualcomm Press Release here.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform Will Drive Innovation in the Extended Reality Market
Analyst Take: The premise of extended reality (XR) continues to intrigue businesses and consumers in myriad ways, and the interest in increased use cases continues to rise. That’s where the Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform comes in.
This is exciting news for this nascent product category, and I see Snapdragon Spaces XR as exactly what independent software vendors and hardware original equipment manufacturers need in order to develop, test, and roll out those use cases. Partners can download Snapdragon Spaces XR, which allows developers to create three-dimensional applications for augmented reality glasses, and they are also able to purchase hardware development kits. I see the Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform, combined with the Snapdragon Metaverse fund, as making great inroads when it comes to enticing hardware and software vendors to develop new and exciting experiences for the extended reality segment.
Potential Growth Areas for Extended Reality
There are some exciting potential growth areas for extended reality. Areas that make the most sense for extended reality are in situations where the glasses can add greater dimension to training and simulation, informational services, and gaming, to name a few. In the training and simulation segment, vertical markets that are a natural fit include healthcare, education, manufacturing, and military simulations. Psychiatric therapists are also experimenting with virtual reality assisted cognitive behavioral therapy to treat patients with anxiety disorders, which could include an immersive experience for patients who also suffer from claustrophobia.
From an informational services perspective, there are myriad examples where augmented reality will help businesses and consumers. Today, it is already commonplace for a patron in a museum to use headphones to navigate works of art with a narrator. Adding augmented reality to the museum experience will only amplify that experience, by overlaying more text and graphics to a particular work of art, offering the user a much more interactive and educational experience. Another use case on the informational services front is the ability to help consumers find items or specials in supermarkets or retail storefronts, which can often be confusing, especially for elderly citizens.
Wrapping it up, the extended reality market is still nascent and many businesses and consumers are searching for use cases beyond traditional examples such as gaming. I’m excited about the potential the Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform offers for software developers and hardware vendors seeking to accelerate those needed use cases that will help drive the category in the future.
Disclosure: Futurum Research is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of Futurum Research as a whole.
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The original version of this article was first published on Futurum Research.
Michael Diamond is an industry analyst and foresight professional with 25 years of experience in the IT channel and market research industry. He is a route-to-market expert covering desktop and mobile devices, collaboration, contact center, ProAV, data center infrastructure, and cybersecurity. Prior to joining Futurum Research, Michael worked for The NPD Group as the sole industry analyst covering indirect channels, cybersecurity, SMB and vertical market trends, data center infrastructure (e.g., enterprise storage, servers, networking), ProAV and PCs. He has been quoted by media outlets such as Bloomberg, Kiplinger, TWICE, OPI (Office Products International), Apple World today, Dark Reading, Enterprise Storage Forum, Credit-Suisse, Footwear News, CRN (Computer Reseller News), Channel Futures and Into Tomorrow. Michael has presented at myriad events including The Channel Company’s Xchange, The Global Technology Distribution Council’s summit, SMB TechFest and more.