Worldwide shipments of AR/VR headsets are expected to significantly grow this year thanks in part to strong demand for Apple Vision Pro and other headsets, according to new research shared by IDC.
Shipments of AR/VR headsets are predicted to reach 9.7 million units in 2024, representing a 44.2 percent year-over-year growth. This contrasts with the performance of the market in 2022, which experienced a YoY decline of 23.5 percent. Most of the growth is attributed to Vision Pro, which is on track to ship nearly 700,000 units this year. While sales of Apple’s headset will represent less than 10 percent of total AR/VR headset sales, IDC says that Vision Pro will help reinvigorate public interest in AR/VR, increasing demand for lower-priced headsets like the Meta Quest 3.
VR headsets will experience stronger growth than strictly AR ones, with sales of the former said to top 24.7 million units by 2028 thanks to strong demand for training, design, and business use cases. Total sales of AR and VR headsets are estimated to reach 35 million units by the same year as companies work to integrate AI within their headsets and continuously improve display technology for productivity and content creation.
Vision Pro’s strong initial demand from customers has reignited interest in AR/VR devices. This interest is only set to increase with the headset’s eventual expansion to international markets which could happen within the next few months. Apple is also developing at least two new Vision Pro models including a more affordable version that could be released in 2026. An expanded lineup and a cheaper headset will further increase the adoption of AR/VR hardware.
