MWC Features Many VR Announcements, Some Linked to Smartphones
Device makers and others used Monday's opening of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to make virtual reality and other announcements involving smartphones. VR is the “key tool” smartphone makers will use this year to market flagship smartphone models, IHS analyst…
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Ian Fogg said in an emailed research note Monday. “In a mature smartphone market, smartphone makers compete with their older selves to drive consumers to upgrade their existing smartphones.” At Samsung’s Sunday news conference from MWC, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared as a surprise guest to tout the role Facebook’s Oculus VR technology will play in social media’s future. As a successor to audio and video, “VR is going to be the most social platform,” Zuckerberg said. Meanwhile, LG has much at stake, Fogg said, citing previous IHS projections that LG smartphone shipments would decline 3 percent in 2016. LG’s G5 smartphone was announced Sunday at MWC with a 360 CAM VR accessory camera. And Dolby and DTS announced new and expanded partner relationships at MWC with smartphone and tablet makers hoping to differentiate in the competitive market segments. DTS said it's extending the Play-Fi ecosystem to smartphones for the first time in models from Acer, Gionee and Phicomm.