New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS): Driven by Apple Vision Pro, the Extended Reality (XR) headset shipments are projected to increase by a record 3.9 million units in 2024 to clock growth of nearly 50 per cent (on-year), a report showed on Tuesday.

Apple’s Vision Pro, which goes on sale in the US on February 2 (with pre-orders starting on January 19), will generate user interest and industry movement which will benefit incumbents, according to latest Counterpoint Global XR (VR/AR) Forecast.

“We expect Apple to sell about half a million units of Vision Pro, its $3,500 mixed reality (MR) headset, in 2024. This makes up a low single-digit share of the 2024 global XR market,” said senior analyst Harmeet Singh Walia.

The first iteration of the Vision Pro headset will primarily attract die-hard Apple fans, developers, early adopters and enterprise users.

“A more optimistic scenario could unfold if Apple successfully boosts the supply of key components for the headset and experiences higher-than-expected interest from the end market,” Walia added.

Augmented Reality (AR) is projected to grow by 54 per cent YoY in 2024, bucking the trend of three years of consecutive declines, said the report.

At just about 2 per cent, AR, however, will remain a small contributor to overall XR shipments.

“North America was already the biggest contributor to XR shipments with nearly 70 per cent of the best-selling Meta headsets shipping in the region. This will grow further in 2024 as Apple’s Vision Pro is available for sale exclusively in the US for most of its first year,” said senior analyst Karn Chauhan.

Samsung’s re-entry into the segment, likely with an MR headset in 2024, will also generate traction, but regardless of its launch price, it will contribute less than Apple to global shipment growth due to a late-year launch, the report mentioned.