01732 759725 42 BUSINESS BRIEFING Matthew Sanderson, SVP & Chief Executive UK, Ireland & EMEA Professional Services, Ingram Micro XR, AR, VR and MR in a nutshell In simple terms, think of XR as the ‘mother ship’ – the catch-all reference that encompasses each immersive technology currently in existence, plus those yet to be developed. n XR, in essence, is where reality and imagination meet. The result is an enhanced version of both. n With AR, virtual imagery and data can be ‘superimposed’ onto real-world scenes and scenarios via specialised glasses, as well as smartphones and tablets. Users interact with everyday environments with enhanced add-ins. Commercial examples would include being able to view how a reconfigured office or manufacturing space would look and function following future upgrades, with new equipment virtually imposed on the scene before you. And, of course, the gaming opportunities are extensive... you only have to think of Pokemon GO. Or even social platforms, where selfies can be augmented with props, or faces altered to resemble family pets. n VR takes immersion one step further, with users finding themselves entirely absorbed into a simulated environment. We’ve all seen the videos of people ducking away from non-existent flying objects. But the potential for VR goes far beyond gaming and entertainment. Fully immersive digital experiences offered by VR are already giving military, healthcare and even construction industries new Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality are already familiar terms to anyone involved in technology today. All three are, in fact, branches of a single family – Extended Reality (XR) – and the opportunities they offer are growing almost exponentially. This disruptive tech is pushing the limits of its potential. In fact, MarketWatch predicts that global XR production will grow by 46.5% per year to reach $346.39 billion in 2026. And Forbes reported that the XR market would be worth a staggering $209 billion by 2022. Confronted by the unique business challenges we’ve faced over the past two years, XR has helped individuals and companies find ever-more creative ways to collaborate. The result has been a torrent of innovation, delivering much needed immersive experiences that brought people closer, helping to seal the deal when it came to showcasing products and services. And with the ensuing take-up of hybrid working styles, being able to get together in meaningful ways whilst working apart is a must. Here, innovations in XR are giving colleagues, clients and customers a significant edge, with captivating, enriching ways to bring presentations, demos and experiential opportunities to life. Extended Reality (XR) is stretching the boundaries of opportunity – We’ll help you maximise its potential Matthew Sanderson
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDUxNDM=