Just how popular are VR headsets amongst teens? Spoiler alert - not that much

Virtual and augmented reality (AR and VR respectively) have been heralded as the next frontier in mobile technology. While this might sound abstract to some, many big tech giants are confident that this is the case, and are increasingly investing in VR/AR technology.

Nevertheless, a new survey carried out by Piper Sandler indicates that AR/VR might not be as big of a thing as some companies seem to believe. The results of the study show that, although almost a third of all teens own VR devices (29% to be precise), only 4% of them “used them daily”. Additionally, about 14% of youngsters used their VR devices on a weekly basis.

The survey was originally covered by CNBC in a dedicated article, and subsequently by 9to5Mac. It is interesting to note that the participants in the study had an average age of 16.2 years. In light of the fact that teens are perceived as more tech-savvy than your average user, this casts some doubt over the potential for a true virtual reality revolution.

It should be noted that more than half of all teens were skeptical towards VR devices. 52% were either unsure or uninterested in purchasing a VR/AR headset. This last bit of information is the one Apple should be most concerned about.

The Cupertino company places high hopes on its upcoming Apple AR/VR headset, reportedly dubbed the Reality Pro. The latter will likely make its debut at WWDC 2023, which will take place between June 5th and June 9th. While Apple is expecting limited commercial demand for its first-generation device, mostly because of its outrageous price tag, rumors already point to a possible successor, which could be more competitively priced.

Nevertheless, an Apple product will never be cheap and with such lukewarm societal attitudes toward VR and AR technology, the odds are stacked against the tech giant. Let's see if the Cupertino company can pull another iPhone moment.