| |
| Hey Insiders— 🗞️ In today's issue, we're zooming in on the partnership between Baidu and Qualcomm aimed at turbocharging China's metaverse. Plus, get the inside scoop on the globe's most downloaded mobile game creators and learn about China's MIIT launching its very own metaverse working group. ⏬ Don't miss our Quick Hits ⚡ and Upcoming Events 📅 section below. 💬 We're all ears! Hit reply to share your invaluable feedback with us. 👥 Love what you're reading? Pass it on! Share this newsletter with friends and colleagues to keep them in the loop. Thank you for being an Insider! Vildana
p/vildana-b | |
| 1 | | Chinese search giant Baidu and chip maker Qualcomm have announced a strategic partnership to advance XR and Generative AI technologies. The collaboration is set to accelerate the development of China's metaverse, offering new possibilities in digital interaction and immersion. More: - The collaboration aims to develop XR and Generative AI to new heights.
- Qualcomm's Snapdragon platform is a cornerstone for numerous AR and VR devices.
- Baidu aims to build XR applications more rapidly and efficiently.
- This partnership is a beacon of innovation in China's mixed economic landscape.
- The collaboration could set a precedent for future tech developments in challenging economic environments.
|     | |
| 2 | | 
What the numbers say: Between January and August 2023, Roblox was the most downloaded mobile game constructor worldwide, generating over 138 million downloads in the year to date. Draw Bricks ranked second with 10.7 million app downloads during the measured period. Relevance: Roblox continues to be among the world's most popular games, largely due to its versatility and user-friendliness. Unlike games with a predetermined environment, Roblox allows you to create the objects, design the gaming universe, and even construct the game itself. Impact: Based in California, Roblox Corporation is behind the free-to-play gaming platform Roblox, which lets users design vibrant virtual realms, known as "experiences," and play games made by other developers. Launched initially on PC in 2006, Roblox has expanded to console and mobile, becoming one of the top-earning gaming applications globally. Its emphasis on building unique digital landscapes complete with their virtual economies also establishes Roblox as a significant player in the growing metaverse movement. | | | |
| A message from our sponsor, Segment. |  | | Segment is now free for Startups! Being a founder is HARD. Finding product-market-fit is one of the toughest challenges that constantly poses questions like "Are people using my product? How are they using it? Are they returning to get value week over week?" When first starting out, Segment co-founders didn't understand how important these questions were or how to use analytics to answer them. So they spent 1.5 years and 7 different MVPs in their pursuit of product-market-fit before finding the secret sauce. Segment helps you collect, clean, and act on your customer data. You can now build fast with a reliable, performant, and compliant stack. Qualifying companies get $50,000 in Segment credits for up to 2 years! See if you qualify for our startup program. Apply Now 
| |
|
| 3 | | China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is forming a working group to establish standards for the metaverse sector. The initiative aims to position China as a global standards-setter for emerging technologies, including the metaverse. More: - The MIIT released a draft proposal for the working group on Monday.
- The proposal identifies the metaverse as one of nine emerging tech sectors for which China aims to establish standards.
- The MIIT emphasized the lack of consensus on what qualifies as a metaverse, highlighting the need for standardization.
- The ministry stated that the metaverse industry faces "many challenges," including a lack of clear definitions.
- The MIIT aims to curb market speculation by providing standardization and guidance for the metaverse.
- The ministry described the metaverse as "an integrated innovation combining various cutting-edge technologies."
Zoom Out: - The metaverse concept has been a hot tech trend since 2021, but standardization efforts are still in their infancy globally.
| | | |
| 4 | | Dr. Jake Shine successfully performed a shoulder replacement surgery after training in VR using a Meta Quest 2 headset. The nearly two-hour operation was smoother and quicker due to VR preparation, which he completed twice a day before the surgery. More: - Dr. Shine and a supervising physician used 3D simulations for practice, emphasizing the "zero risk to the patient."
- Jan Herzhoff, president of Elsevier Health Sciences, sees VR's potential for creating hyper-realistic 3D models for medical students.
- During a month-long "boot camp," medical students must complete at least three VR modules per week with a minimum score of 70%.
- PrecisionOS, a software company, received a $1M grant in 2018 for developing VR modules for training surgeons and medical students.
- Dr. Rafael Grossmann notes that while the technology is improving, the hardware is still too bulky for many doctors.
Zoom Out: | | | |
| A message from our sponsor, Amplitude. |  | | Amplitude customers saw 217% ROI & more What's the ROI of understanding how customers use your products? See how Amplitude users achieved a 217% ROI in 3 years and recouped Amplitude costs in under 6 months. Conductued by Forrester Consulting in an August 2023 commissioned study, Amplitude's Total Economic Impact™ shows how customer journey insights drive data-driven decisions on engagement, conversion, and purchases. Testimonial: “Without Amplitude, we probably would have to spend another 20% to 25% on our analysis tooling budget.” - Chief product officer, entertainment company See why leading brands like Atlassian, Hubspot, Notion, PayPal, Capital One and Dropbox trust in Amplitude's digital analytics platform. Get your copy now 
| |
|
| 5 | | Vodafone has partnered with Audi to launch an AR app to enhance the car-buying experience. The app has been downloaded over 10,000 times within the first month. More: - The AR app was developed in collaboration with Vuforia, a subsidiary of PTC Inc.
- It enables users to visualize different Audi car models and configurations in their own surroundings.
- It allows customization of Audi vehicles, including color changes and wheel designs.
- Over 30% of app users chose to visit an Audi dealership following app usage.
- Plans to expand the app for other car manufacturers are underway.
- It is expected to roll out to additional markets, focusing on Europe, in the coming months.
Zoom Out: - The automotive AR and VR market is projected to reach $673M by 2025.
| | | |
| 6 | | Chinese tech company GDI, a pioneer in XR, reported a 96% YoY increase in revenue, reaching 107M yuan ($14.9M) in H1 2023. The company's flagship product, IdeaXR, has attracted over 100,000 users and serves diverse sectors, including education and emergency services. More: - GDI was established in 2007 and is one of China's earliest VR companies.
- GDI swung to a net profit of 13.65M yuan in H1 2023
- IdeaXR is a software framework that enables users to create 3D immersive experiences without extensive coding knowledge.
- The company has a wide client base, including Shanghai's Pudong Airport, Sinopec, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Disney.
- The company's growth aligns with China's strategy to boost its digital economy and develop a domestic metaverse.
- GDI also sells an MR headset called 7 Guang, targeting business clients.
Zoom Out: | | | |
| 7 | | QUICK HITS - Big ideas demand a proven approach to product development. Revelry's process helps dev teams form and deliver 30-40% faster than industry standards.*
- The Chinese start-up GDI, an early player in China's VR scene, hopes Apple's Vision Pro headset will accelerate the adoption of extended reality.
- Metaverse land sales reached a new annual low of under $4.2M in August 2023, largely due to increasing cryptocurrency regulations and a bear market.
- After playing a computer game with his daughter, trauma surgeon David Howie developed a "game-changing" VR tool for repairing broken bones, drawing inspiration from Angry Birds.
- Optimize your cloud costs today. This practical guide explains the steps to implement FinOps practices and how to get buy-in from your team.*
*This is sponsored content. | | | |
| Upcoming Events | | SEP
28 | | Join TruEra's Webinar on AI Observability with former CMU professor Anupam Datta. | | | | | | | OCT
4 | | Join this free online and onsite event in Amsterdam and you'll hear from industry experts at Meta, Opera, AdGuard, Mozilla, Google, and more. | | | | | | | OCT
16 | | Meet Our Fund 5, Building and Investing in AI | | | | | | * This is a sponsored event | | | |
Term of the Day Angel syndicate: Angel syndicates are groups of angel investors that pool their funds to invest in startups, typically at an early stage. Question of the Week Do you share details about your salary with your coworkers? Join the conversation Today's Knowledge Hub Is Brought To You By Ready to take your career to the next level? Apply to join Sidebar, a highly-vetted and private community of small peer groups designed to support exceptional senior leaders in doing their best work. |
INSIDE METAVERSE LEADERBOARD (ALL-TIME) |
| |
| |
 | Segment is an API-first analytics solution that empowers 15,000+ startups to scale their data infrastructure. | |
|
 | Amplitude customers saw 217% ROI in The Total Economic Impact™ of Amplitude. | |
|
| |
Comments
Post a Comment