Tag: smartphones

According to HTC China’s President, VR is going to last longer than the smartphone cycle.

Virtual reality (VR) is going to dominate smartphones within four years, says Alvin Graylin, president of HTC China. Speaking at Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Graylin said that VR is the upcoming disruptor that will dominate mobile phones. It took smarpthones five years to surpass the total unit sales of PC and now he predicts VR will do the same to Smartphones in four years.

“VR is going to take over, and I predict it will last longer than nine years,” Graylin stated. “It’s going to replace every screen, and users will enjoy a different way to experience things like live events.”

HTC plans to invest billions in the future of VR.

HTC, the Taiwanese consumer electronics company, recently launched a consortium that brings together 28 of the world’s biggest VC (venture capital) firms. This consortium is dedicated to investing $10 billion in the future of virtual reality.

Graylin said at the Mobile World Congress that the VR VC Alliance will not only invest in a VR future but also set the direction for where this immersive technology is headed. “Think about what $10 billion can do for this industry,” he stated.

Graylin boasts that HTC’s virtual reality hardware is far superior to its competition.

HTC has put a great deal of time, effort and money into its VR headset Vive. Graylin said that compared to the VR hardware of other companies like Oculus, Samsung and Sony, Vive is way ahead of the game in terms of providing both a higher quality experience and having far more content.

Currently, Vive already has over 300 titles and Graylin said that this is like to become a “four-digit number very soon.” The executive expressed that the success of VR also depends on great content.

HTC launched its $100 million Vive X fund program two months ago. The program is designed to jump-start development. According to Graylin, the company has already received 1,200 applications from companies across the globe. Half of the companies are from China.

As for its plans to spin off its virtual reality group, an independent company was recently approved by the HTC board to operate the Vive business.

A recent study has revealed that many shoppers use multiple portable devices when they buy.

According to the results of a recent study from Criteo, when it comes to mobile commerce, the complete journey from product discovery to the actual purchase can involve several different devices, as opposed to just one, as has been the case with traditional online shopping over a computer.

The data from Criteo indicated that 40 percent of online purchases are now conducted over multiple devices.

This data was compiled as a part of the Q4 2015 State of Mobile Commerce Report from the firm. One of the main findings within that report was that consumers aren’t just using a single mobile device to complete online purchases. It’s true that 60 percent of m-commerce based purchases are currently occurring over smartphones, but Criteo’s data has also indicated that about 40 percent of all online transactions actually involve the use of several different connected and mobile devices that will eventually lead to a purchase. These gadgets include smartphones, but also PCs and tablets.

Mobile commerce is, therefore, dependent on making sure that the shopping experience works across these devices.

According to the Criteo chief product officer, Jonathan Wolf, “Criteo’s quarterly Mobile Commerce Report demonstrates that mobile is an essential component of commerce today, with most consumers browsing and buying across multiple devices.” Wolf also added that “In order to better understand this digitally-savvy consumer, marketers need to stop looking at each device on its own, and start understanding the user behind them. Multi-device behavior is the new normal.”

Among the other key findings from the mobile commerce trends report were the following:

• Of all purchases made online, 4 out of every 10 involved the use of multiple devices before the final checkout procedure was initiated.
• One out of every 3 multi-device purchases reached a completion point over mobile (smartphone or tablet).
• There was a 15 percent year over year increae in mobile transactions from Q4 2014 to Q4 2015.
• Orders completed over tablets have a higher sales value than those completed over smartphones.
• Thirty seven percent of shoppers using desktop or laptop computers will also use mobile devices to browse retailer sites. They often look for products over mobile and buy them over PC.
• Among tablet shoppers, 43 percent use more than one device throughout the length of the shopping journey.