Inside Metaverse

For December 29, 2023

Today's metaverse briefing:

Apple's Vision Pro, priced at $3,499, is rumored to be released in late January or early February 2024.
Sri Lanka's national emergency service has launched an ambulance powered by AI and MR.
South Korea's major mobile carriers, SK Telecom, KT Corp., and LG Uplus, are increasing investments in the metaverse and XR technologies.

Thank you!

Apple's Vision Pro, priced at $3,499, is rumored to be released in late January or early February 2024. This prediction comes from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who suggests the first shipment will be around 500,000 units for the year.

More:

Originally announced at WWDC in June with an early 2024 release, the Vision Pro's exact launch date remained unspecified.
The 500,000 unit projection is modest compared to Apple's annual iPhone shipments, exceeding 200 million.
The Vision Pro marks CEO Tim Cook's most significant venture in his 12-year tenure.
Priced at $3,499, the device enters a new category for Apple and is seen as a high-risk move.
Kuo describes the Vision Pro as Apple's most crucial product for 2024.

Zoom Out:

Omdia reports that Apple's next-gen MR headset will feature enhanced micro-OLED displays for brighter, more efficient visuals.

What the numbers say: As of November 2023, "Assassin's Creed Mirage," the latest installment in the Assassin's Creed series and first mainline release since 2020, constituted 30.9% of Twitch streaming time for Ubisoft games.

Relevance: Ubisoft reportedly intercepted a cyberattack, preventing the theft of 900GB of data, including Rainbow Six Siege user data. The company identified and blocked the hackers' access 48 hours after the breach, according to a report by Bleeping Computer. This follows a recent incident where a ransomware gang leaked 1.6TB of data from PlayStation Studio's Insomniac Games.

In partnership with Mediwave, Sri Lanka's national emergency service, 1990 Suwa Seriya, has launched a connected ambulance powered by AI and MR. This innovation includes an AI-powered speech-to-text transcriber for electronic health records and AR for remote care, significantly enhancing emergency response capabilities.

More:

The service's average response time of 11 minutes and 38 seconds surpasses that of many developed countries.
World Health Organization's ideal emergency response time is under 8 minutes.
U.S. law sets a 10-minute standard response time in urban areas; London's standard for 95% of emergency requests is between 14-10 minutes.
Asia has the fastest median emergency response time at 7 minutes.
The technology enables EMTs to connect virtually with physicians and monitor vital signs.

Zoom Out:

The Metaverse in healthcare is rapidly evolving, focusing on XR for mental health, medical training, and AR-assisted surgery; Major providers like Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic use AR for medical procedures.
The U.S. healthcare sector is expected to invest over $8.3T by 2040 in emerging technologies, with a significant portion for well-being processes and services.

Despite sluggish XR device sales, South Korea's major mobile carriers, SK Telecom, KT Corp., and LG Uplus, are increasing investments in the metaverse and XR technologies. They are targeting global expansion, focusing on technologies like VR, AR, and MR, as well as partnerships with tech giants like Apple and Samsung.

More:

SK Telecom's metaverse platform, Ifland, targets international growth leveraging K-pop, with over 50 million subscribers.
KT is integrating AI and metaverse, promoting its platform Genieverse globally with generative AI integration.
LG Uplus' KidsTopia, a child-focused metaverse platform, is expanding to North America and Southeast Asia and is planning to expand to Japan and South America.
LG Uplus' Uverse caters to universities, aiming for 100+ universities in three years.

Zoom Out:

In November, SK Telecom announced partnerships with IT firms Celcom Digi in Malaysia, Agate in Indonesia, and Cosmic Technologies in the Philippines to expand its metaverse platform, ifland, in Southeast Asia.

Apple's latest innovation is the Vision Pro headset cover, detailed in a newly published design patent from Hong Kong. This accessory is designed to protect the EyeSight display of the Vision Pro headset from scratches and other damages, featuring a soft-touch woven fabric and a convenient removal tab.

More:

Apple granted 70 design patents in Hong Kong, focusing on Vision Pro headset.
The accessory aligns with Vision Pro's aesthetics; it doesn't cover back or Light Seal.
A Vision Pro battery patent is included; it was initially mistaken for the MagSafe battery pack.
- The battery patent reveals a recessed port and detachable cable.
The focus on innovation, particularly in VR technology, underscores Apple's commitment to leading in new tech arenas.

Zoom Out:

In Asia, VR technology has gained broader appeal beyond gaming, with Japan, South Korea, and China leading in headset adoption across various sectors.
The overall AR/VR headset market is still in its early stages, requiring industry-wide efforts to overcome challenges in content depth, device accessibility, and usability.

The Yuan Asset Forum conference, focusing on Web 3.0 and the metaverse, highlighted the integration of Yuan Assets — a combination of traditional and digital assets. This event marked a significant shift in the digital economy, bringing together global leaders to shape the future of Web 3.0.

More:

The Silk Road Planning Research Center and the Hong Kong Financial Development Association organized the conference on Dec. 26.
The event aims to influence the global digital economy, with tours scheduled in key global locations.
The Greater Bay Area Capital Group announced a $10B Web 3.0 Industry Fund.
The conference serves as a platform for discussions on the future of the digital economy and meta-assets.
Features significant agreements in the digital economy, meta-assets, Web 3.0, and the metaverse.

Zoom Out:

Since the year's start, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area has seen a surge in Web3 startups and an influx of corporate relocations from abroad.

QUICK HITS

2024 is the year your startup gets funded. Make it happen with Foundersuite. Over 50k global startups have raised $15B+ with our investor DB, CRM, data room, and more.*
The tourist market for VR headsets, valued at $610.0M in 2023, is projected to grow annually by 5.0%, reaching $994.4M by 2033, fueling a significant market surge.
Proto Hologram, a Los Angeles-based company specializing in patented hologram technology, secured an undisclosed investment from Cartan Capital.
Researchers at UT Austin have developed a "digital twin" of the university's grid, an interactive 3D campus model, to analyze energy usage and prepare for climate impacts and increasing energy demands.
Frec Direct Indexing delivers the benefits of passive index investing with supercharged tax savings – up to 38% of your portfolio over 5 years in tax deductions.*

*This is a sponsored post.

Upcoming Events

JAN
30

Join TruEra for an expert discussion about the impact of the EU AI Act on US and Canadian firms

Virtual

* This is a sponsored event

Vildana Bijedic

Freelance

This newsletter was curated by Vildana. When she's not immersed in the latest tech news, she loves exploring new places and connecting with diverse cultures. You can reach her at vildana@inside.com or connect with her on Twitter or LinkedIn.