The Meta group is very discreet about the sales of its virtual reality headsets. But obviously, these were a hit at Christmas. Indeed, as noted by the site 9to5Mac, the iOS application Meta Horizon has climbed to first place in the App Store rankings in the United States. And in the United Kingdom, it is in second place, at the time of writing this article.
The fact that this app suddenly shot up in the rankings indicates that it was heavily downloaded on Christmas Day. However, this is the application to download when using virtual reality and mixed reality headsets from the Meta group. Unfortunately, we do not have any further details. But it is possible that this progression is attributed to the launch of Meta Quest 3S.
Presented in October, this headset is a more affordable version of the Meta Quest 3, which costs 329 euros in France. This product is therefore positioned as an even more affordable alternative to Apple’s Vision Pro.
Meta, still the leader in AR/VR
Having invested very early in this area, the Meta group is today the world leader in virtual reality and augmented reality. According to IDC data, in the third quarter of 2024, shipments of AR/VR products increased by 12.8%. This growth was mainly attributed to the Meta Group, whose market share was 70.8%. Otherwise, IDC also predicts that this market will grow by 22.7% in 2025.
However, it should be noted that, for the moment, Reality Labs, the division which markets the group’s Meta Quest headsets and connected glasses, is still accumulating losses. Indeed, Meta spends billions of dollars per year to develop even more advanced technologies, such as augmented reality glasses. For example, in the third quarter, Reality Labs’ losses were $4.4 billion.
- Meta Horizon’s iOS app is #1 on the US App Store chart
- This suggests that Meta Quest headsets were a hit at Christmas
- This success is likely due to the launch of the Meta Quest 3S, which is an affordable version of the Meta Quest
- Meta is still the world leader in virtual reality and augmented reality
- But for the moment, its Reality Labs division is not making a profit
