Tech Industry Eyes Next Big Thing Amid Drop In Smartphone Sales

Now that more than 80 percent of American adults own smartphones, tech industries are developing the next big thing.

Smartphones aren't a hot new product anymore - so tech companies are trying to come up with the next big thing.
Photo Credit: *Pixabay/RitaE*

Here is a still from a video by Apple showing how its new AR (augmented reality) platform will display on a smartphone.
Photo Credit: *Apple*

03/07/2021 10:00 a.m.

Prompted by a drop in smartphone sales over the past two years, many technology companies - including Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Amazon - to get back to research and development, CNBC reported.

So what will the next big thing be, according to tech companies?

Augmented reality or AR is otherwise known as mixed reality.

This isn’t the same as the virtual reality services offered in the mid-2010s, though the vision usually requires the user to wear a type of high-tech goggles.

Unlike virtual reality, users will be able to see the real world in front of them, but with added computer-generated enhancements that can put a new reality layer over the screen or add text to before your eyes.

Leading the industry in AR development is Apple, according to Bloomberg News. Apple’s first AR headset is designed to be an expensive precursor to a more streamlined, consumer-friendly product.

Apple plans to launch the product as soon as 2022, which will put it up against Facebook’s Oculus and Sony’s PlayStation VR headsets, Bloomberg said.

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