MARCH - 201919MANUFACTURINGTECHNOLOGYINSIGHTSJabil Surveys Technology Leaders on How They're Preparing for the Future of AR/VRNo longer the stuff of science fiction augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) are rapidly expanding their foothold in the real world with the release of the latest generation of smartphones, glasses, headsets and other devices -- paired with a growing ecosystem of content, apps and supporting technologies. Yet despite the hype, the AR/VR market is still in its infancy stage and unsettled even among those driving innovation. Neither devices nor content has become mainstream. But the innovation and technology are advancing at such a pace that the tipping point cannot be far in the future. In every industry, companies need to apply fresh thinking to product design and creation, market access, and supply chain management. Forward-thinking firms are also asking themselves some tough questions. · How do we prepare for AR/VR? AR/VR: Planning for the Unplannable· What barriers or obstacles do we face? · What do we expect from vendors and from ourselves?Jabil recently sponsored an online survey of AR/VR stakeholders that design, market and/or produce manufactured products, in industries such as consumer electronics, healthcare, entertainment, and retail. The survey asked for their perspectives on adoption and future expectations of AR/VR and elicited some interesting results.Expectations and ObstaclesOver two-thirds of the survey's respondents expect that AR/VR will become mainstream within five years. Yet virtually everyone agrees there are technology (99 percent) and content-related (97 percent) challenges to overcome. These obstacles aren't insurmountable, but a full third of respondents said they preferred to wait and see which way AR/VR technology might evolve before setting their course. Only 7 percent had gone beyond planning to launch pilot projects, and just 4 percent said that they were actively executing on a plan today. Manufacturing decision makers disagreed about whether innovation or investment represents a higher hurdle. A small majority (61 percent) cite innovation in the belief that AR/VR is not ready for use at their companies. For the other 39 percent of respondents, the barrier is investment. They feel AR/VR technology is mature enough but wonder if their organizations are willing to make essential investments. As one respondent said, "You can raise a good amount of money thinking you're going to go in, but it takes a tremendous amount of effort and money to get to good AR."CXO INSIGHTSBy Scott Sackville, Product Marketing Director, AR/VR, Jabil Green Point
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