Spatial Computing Isn’t This Year’s Trend; It’s the Next Decade’s Medium

The past week has seen Vision Pro fever set in as Apple’s hotly anticipated entry into the mixed reality market finally landed. Judging by the internet memes, it seems to have captured the imagination of the world - but once you puncture through the layer of hype, a more important truth is revealed. This headset doesn’t just represent 2024’s shiny new toy or the latest tech trend. It’s a milestone moment indicative of the start of the spatial computing era, an evolving medium that’s set to shake up the next decade and beyond.

Spatial computing - the integration of human-computer interplay into our real world - provides a 3D canvas that allows digital experiences to become more immersive, more rewarding, and more embodied. It provides us with a whole new medium for engagement - a convergence of industry-shaking technologies from AR/VR to AI and beyond, that will continue to expand in the years ahead. 

There’s an interesting debate swirling on whether headsets such as the Vision Pro and Meta’s equally impressive Quest 3 will ultimately serve as smartphone killers. The jury’s still out, but perhaps ‘laptop killers’ is more accurate, with spatial’s ability to fully transform our activities across the gamut of work and play. What is certain is that this new technology will indelibly change the way we consume content, socialise and experience the world. It will change the way brands communicate with their customers and frame their experiences.

With new hardware announcements happening on a near weekly basis and with the future of AI and computer vision added to the mix, spatial computing is fast becoming a bigger part of everyday life - and there’s a lot for brands to learn. We’re already seeing games such as Meta’s First Encounters using video passthrough to break down the barriers between virtual gameplay and our real world environments; Google’s geospatial AR art takeovers in London, Mexico City and LA bringing real world street art to life with anchored digital content; and new apps on the Vision Pro allowing users to learn guitar, stay up to date with all the latest live sports matches and stats, and even gamify their household chores - all in mixed reality.

But rather than solely looking at what the use-cases are today, we also need to look forward to fully understand the potential. Just as the iPhone paved the way for new business models such as Uber and Airbnb, spatial computing technology is set to do the same. 

So where are the key opportunities for brands to add value for both their audience and their business in the years ahead?

1) Deeper audience engagement 

Immersive and embodied by nature, spatial experiences facilitate a way to build stronger connections. By taking the experience off the screen and instead placing it in our physical environment, brands can draw their audiences in even closer, putting them at the heart of the action. What’s really impressive is that we can adjust the level of immersion depending on the audience requirements and accessibility needs, leaning in for more immersion or back for a more grounded experience. Expect to see brand loyalty tighten as audiences feel more closely connected than ever before.

2) Immersive discovery

Because of this heightened immersion, spatial experiences will be able to facilitate informed conversion through education, product discovery, & virtual try-ons. We know that immersive media is incredibly effective in helping users visualise, whether it’s the way a new pair of glasses will look on their face, or if that king size bed will fit in their room - the opportunity for retail and commerce is clear. But what’s really interesting is the way it can drive knowledge retention, in large part due to spatial experiences being inherently fun. Textbooks could become living, breathing stories, folding out in front of you. Kids will want to learn, because all of a sudden it becomes fun and more akin to play. Brands and institutions will have a new way to inject fun and curiosity back into discovery and learning.

3) Shared connection

Unlike standard multiplayer experiences, spatial computing actually allows users to share their space with one another or enter a brand’s physical world even if they are miles apart - for instance, by being able to transfer geometry data. This elevated co-presence can make brand-audience connections stronger and has huge potential to create meaningful, sociable moments - flipping the perceived isolation of early-day VR on its head.

The Vision Pro represents the first mainstream shift of a decades-old journey towards the spatial computing era that will affect every brand and every sector. Now is the time for brands and institutions to begin planning, adapting and optimising for the future of engagement.