Google has decided to buy part of a unit for extended reality (XR) headsets and glasses from HTC for $250 million. The deal will involve transfer some of the employees from HTC to Google.
Taiwan’s HTC said the two companies will explore further collaboration opportunities. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of this year.
In 2017, Google announced its purchase of part of HTC’s smartphone operations for $1.1 billion.
Google said in a statement that the latest deal would accelerate the development of the Android XR platform and strengthen the ecosystem for headsets and glasses.
Jitesh Ubrani, research manager, Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers at IDC, in September 2024, said IDC expects the AR/VR headset industry will grow from 6.7 million units in 2024 to 22.9 million in 2028 with a CAGR of 36.3 percent.
Benefitting from the confluence of both AR and VR, MR devices are expected to lead, representing over 70 percent of the volume in 2028. ER devices, with a simple heads-up display or content mirroring, will capture over a quarter of the market thanks to the inclusion of artificial intelligence (AI) and consumer-friendly designs.
Lu Chia-te, HTC vice president, told reporters the company had granted its intellectual property rights to Google as a non-exclusive licence.
TelecomLead.com News Desk