A Look Back at 2024

Dec 26, 2024 - min read min read

It’s already late December—how quickly the year has flown by. And what a year it’s been. Let’s be honest. As the late Steve Jobs famously said: "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards."

2024 began with Steve Jobs’ legacy front and center.

In January, all eyes in the tech and business world were once again on Las Vegas, where CES showcased the latest technological innovations. While Apple traditionally skips CES, and Meta has opted for its own product reveals in recent years, Apple managed to steal the headlines anyway. They announced that their long-anticipated Vision Pro would finally go on presale starting January 19.

After a decade working in immersive media, this launch was something I had been personally looking forward to just as long. Despite the fact that Apple’s so-called “spatial computer” was exclusively available in the U.S. (and even then, only to U.S. residents), we decided to take our chances. Yondr managed to pre-order two units, and I flew to New York to pick them up. Little did I know, I’d bump into Apple’s current CEO, who was happy to snap a photo with me. Before I knew it, I was making headlines as “the first Belgian to test and buy the Apple Vision Pro.”

What followed was a whirlwind. Over the next few days, yondr made the rounds on Flemish TV and radio stations, and nearly every major newspaper wanted to hear our take on this groundbreaking device.

But the anticipated rush for Vision Pro app and content production? It didn’t quite materialize. Now, as we close out the year, the Vision Pro is still unavailable in Belgium or the Netherlands. Apart from an experience we created for McDonald’s International and a handful of workshops and keynotes, things have remained relatively quiet on the spatial computing front.

The Vision Pro itself is breathtaking—a glimpse into the future of computing. But it’s heavy, and most importantly, prohibitively expensive for consumers. Apple intentionally designed it this way; a mass-market release would have led to mass disappointment because, frankly, there isn’t much content for it yet. It’s a pricey devkit, ideal for companies like yondr to experiment with brands and corporates. The carrot on the stick was within reach, but there’s still a long way to go before we see a true wave of applications. That wave is coming, though—I’m 200% convinced. More about this in my article about predictions in 2025.

A Year of Reflection and Growth

As yondr approaches its 10th anniversary in 2025, this year felt like the perfect moment to reflect on our business. While we’re best known for producing VR/AR and metaverse experiences, we do so much more.

Our core mission is to help businesses blend physical and digital experiences to maximize engagement and ROI. This often takes shape through trade show booths, experience centers, pop-ups, flagship stores, or digital twins. Whether it’s a mixed reality experience or a 3D animation or an interactive experience on a touch table, our solutions help businesses showcase products in ways that reduce their environmental footprint. For example, digital representations mean companies don’t need to ship physical machines to trade shows. What’s more, these experiences can extend beyond a single event, adding value throughout the sales journey.

The demand for immersive experiences has grown exponentially in recent years, both in B2C and B2B environments. Today’s customers and businesses want more than just products or services—they’re looking for unique, memorable experiences that create emotional connections and lasting impressions.

Why Experiences Matter More Than Ever

Several factors are driving this trend:

  1. Evolving Customer Expectations: Social media and technology have conditioned people to expect personalized, interactive experiences.

  2. Competitive Edge: In saturated markets, a focus on experiences sets brands apart.

  3. Emotional Connection: Experiences foster stronger brand loyalty by appealing to emotions in ways that standard products simply can’t.

  4. Technology as an Enabler: AR, VR, AI, and other advancements make it easier to create immersive experiences.

  5. Shareability: Customers crave experiences they can share online, which provides businesses with free publicity.

  6. Sustainability: Beyond reducing ecological footprints, digital and immersive solutions offer reusability and make an unforgettable impact.

Take, for example, our project with Alliance, a global leader in industrial laundry systems. We added an experience layer to explain their intangible products (software) and enhanced their physical products with digital layers to illustrate functionality. These experiences can then be scaled and redeployed to local distributors, offering both sustainability and cost-efficiency.

Looking Ahead

Connecting the dots only works when looking back—that much is true. Personally, I expected the spatial computing business to explode this year, rewarding the patience of those of us who’ve been in this industry for a decade. But here we are, still waiting for that moment.

Thankfully, we didn’t put all our eggs in the headset basket.

As we step into 2025, we’re gearing up for a series of ambitious projects that bring our vision to life. Expect a surge of digital, interactive, and immersive content as we create experiences for centers, showrooms, trade show booths, and virtual worlds.

On behalf of yondr and myself, I wish you a happy, healthy, and successful 2025. Embrace life, and don’t forget: add experience to your business. You—and your customers—will love it.

Brand-New for 2025 is the launch of our podcast, "Virtual".

"Virtual" refers to something that isn’t physically present but is experienced through technology—often in a digital or simulated environment. Together with my co-host, Tim Verheyden (journalist at VRT), we’ll dive into weekly conversations at the intersection of technology and society.

Each episode will feature a guest as we unpack the week’s tech news and explore a specific theme in greater depth. As self-professed tech enthusiasts, we can’t help but geek out over the latest innovations, but we’re equally committed to critically examining their business, economic, and societal impact.

Join us for candid conversations, fresh perspectives, and thought-provoking discussions in a world that’s becoming increasingly virtual.

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