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  • September 2020
  • Case
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Apple Bets on Augmented Reality

By: Rory McDonald, David Lane and Mel Martin
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:21
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Abstract

In 2020, augmented reality (AR) was still a nascent technology with blockbuster potential, one which Apple was actively developing as its iPhone franchise waned. But the emergence of AR was uneven, including the disappointing Google Glass and the unexpected viral success of Pokémon Go. AR technology was complex—involving integration of numerous advances in hardware and software—and expensive, dominated by Big Tech incumbents such as Facebook, Google, and Microsoft, whose AR applications thus far belied the breadth of vision articulated by their leaders. This left the door open for Apple, whose work on AR headsets had generated both internal conflict and continuing questions about where in the value chain the company should play, and how to win amid competing industry visions of the future of AR.

Keywords

Augmented Reality; Industry Structures; Product Development; Commercialization; Competition; Corporate Strategy; Diversification; Information Technology; Technology Adoption; Information Technology Industry; Technology Industry; Video Game Industry

Citation

McDonald, Rory, David Lane, and Mel Martin. "Apple Bets on Augmented Reality." Harvard Business School Case 621-007, September 2020.
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About The Author

Rory M. McDonald

Technology and Operations Management
→More Publications

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More from the Authors
  • TikTok and National Security: Investment in an Age of Data Sovereignty? By: Jeremy Friedman, Sarah Bauerle Danzman and David Lane
  • Productive Tensions: How Every Leader Can Tackle Innovation’s Toughest Trade-Offs By: Chris Bingham and Rory McDonald
  • The Past Is Prologue? Venture-Capital Syndicates' Collaborative Experience and Start-Up Exits By: Dan Wang, Emily Cox Pahnke and Rory McDonald
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