(Yicai) June 14 -- With Apple's mixed reality headset Vision Pro entering the Chinese mainland at the end of this month, the headset market will likely recover in the second half of this year after shipments dropped in the first quarter, according to International Data Corporation.

Shipments of virtual reality, MR, augmented reality, and extended reality devices in China tumbled 38 percent to 107,000 units in the three months ended March 31 from a year earlier due to a lack of heavyweight products, IDC said in a report published today.

VR and MR headset deliveries plunged 73 percent and 53 percent to 22,000 and 34,000 units, respectively, while AR and ER device shipments surged 119 percent and 136 percent to 8,000 and 44,000 units, respectively.

AR and VR manufacturers slowed down shipments in the first quarter mainly to lay the groundwork for later releases, noted Ye Qingqing, an analyst at IDC China. With the development of artificial intelligence tech, falling supply chain costs, expanding sales channels, and the entry of more manufacturers, the market is expected to rebound and grow this year, she added.

The Vision Pro started taking pre-orders yesterday in the Chinese mainland. Apple's first MR headset is priced at 16 percent to 18 percent more in China than it is in the United States, with its 256 gigabyte, 512 GB, and 1 terabyte versions costing from CNY29,999 (USD4,135), CNY31,499 (USD4,345), and CNY32,999 (USD4,550), respectively.

Upon entering the Chinese market, the Vision Pro will likely speed up the development of the supply chain system and intensify competition among manufacturers, according to IDC. While a surge in growth is not guaranteed, the advancement in hardware and software levels and the increase in shipments will undoubtedly boost the upgrade and growth of the MR market, it added.

IDC adjusted the product categorization for headset devices this quarter to keep pace with the evolving market. It changed the old VR category into VR and MR, with the latter being for devices capable of switching between virtual and real environments. Similarly, the AR category has been split into AR and ER, where AR refers to standalone devices that can operate independently, while ER is for split-type products that require connection to external equipment.

Editor: Martin Kadiev