How I See 2025 Through My yondr Lens

Jan 6, 2025 - min read min read

If you've been following yondr—or me—for a while, you know we’ve been deeply immersed in VR and AR for years. Over time, our services have expanded. Today, we help businesses craft digital and immersive experiences that make corporate stories, technical products, and business processes more engaging and easier to understand. These experiences often come to life in trade show booths, experience centers, interactive showrooms, or even virtual worlds. Yes, VR and AR play a key role, but what we do now goes far beyond just those technologies.

Show, Don’t Tell: Experiential Sales Will Define 2025

Let’s face it—how we interact with brands is evolving. In 2025, it won’t just be about selling a product or service; it’ll be about crafting experiences that resonate. Whether it’s a flagship store, trade show booth, digital showroom, or pop-up event, the brands that win will be those that make every moment count. 

The magic? It happens where the physical and digital worlds meet. As we head into the new year, experiential sales won’t just be a nice-to-have; they’ll become the gold standard.

Success will belong to the brands that make every touchpoint unforgettable.

Spatial Computing: From Concept to Reality

Anyone who’s attended one of my keynotes knows I often reference the Gartner Hype Cycle to explain where a particular technology—or hype—stands. With Apple’s entry into the world of AR/VR headsets, the conversation has shifted. We’re no longer talking about XR (Extended Reality, the umbrella term for VR, AR, and MR); we’re now talking about Spatial Computing—a term Apple didn’t invent but has certainly claimed. It’s the kind of move that mirrors Meta’s branding of the Metaverse. And now, Spatial Computing has earned a spot on Gartner’s Tech Trends for 2025 list.

But what exactly is Spatial Computing? It’s an evolving, 3D-centric form of computing that combines AI, computer vision, XR, and other technologies to seamlessly integrate virtual experiences into our physical world. It makes sense: we humans perceive the world in 3D—we see depth and hear spatialized sound. Yet, when we work digitally, communicate virtually, or consume entertainment, it’s almost always in 2D. Spatial Computing flips that script. Instead of observing an experience from a distance (like through a screen), you step into it.

This aligns with Zuckerberg’s vision for the Metaverse: an embodied internet where you’re in the experience rather than looking at it. If we think of Spatial Computers as the hardware and the Metaverse as the 3D content, it starts to make sense.

So, is 2025 the year it finally takes off? I doubt it—at least not in the way many of us hope. Mass adoption will probably take a few more years, but there are some important steps on the agenda. The technology is advancing, but there’s a clear distinction between headsets and glasses.

While AR glasses like Meta’s Project Orion are promising, they’re at least a few years away from being consumer-ready due to the high cost of components. Headsets, on the other hand, are evolving faster as more powerful devices for indoor use, making them a logical extension of personal computing. Glasses are being touted as the eventual successor to smartphones—time will tell.

Smart Glasses: The Quiet Revolution

While full AR glasses are still on the horizon, smart glasses are gaining traction, thanks to the generative AI boom. I predict 2025 will be their breakout year. Meta, for instance, is ahead of the curve with its Ray-Ban partnership. These smart glasses—already top sellers in over 60% of Ray-Ban stores worldwide—allow users to take photos, record videos, make calls, and listen to music. In the US, they also integrate with generative AI, turning the glasses into a personal assistant capable of recognizing, remembering, and interpreting the world around you.

Google is also making moves with its Android XR operating system, designed for both headsets and smart glasses. While still in prototype stages, leaked footage suggests early versions already include limited digital overlays. It’s not hard to imagine eyewear brands jumping on board to stay competitive. After all, these glasses could eventually double as prescription lenses or sunglasses, disrupting the market in ways we haven’t seen for a while.

Headsets: The Heavyweights of Spatial Computing

Google’s Android XR has also set the stage for the next wave of headsets. Samsung is rumored to make a major comeback, unveiling a device to rival Apple’s Vision Pro. For those who remember the Samsung Gear VR from 2015, this feels like a full-circle moment. It’s only natural for giants like Apple and Samsung—pillars of the mobile computing era—to stake their claim in the spatial era.

Meanwhile, Meta isn’t backing down. Despite rumors of a pivot to AI, they’re doubling down on their Metaverse ambitions. While we might not see a new Meta headset in 2025, expect iterations of their Ray-Ban glasses and significant investments in Horizon Worlds, their virtual world platform. AI, too, will play a starring role—journalists at the Android XR launch were raving about the seamless integration of Google’s Gemini AI. It’s clear that Generative AI could be the killer app XR has been waiting for.

AI Agents: A New Era of Work and Life

With AI models improving at lightning speed, AI agents are set to take over more tasks—both in business and daily life. Remember the saying: “AI won’t take your job; someone using AI will”? I totally disagree. It's all happening way too fast. The pace of innovation is staggering. Combined with robotics, this shift could transform the workforce in ways we’ve only begun to imagine. 2025 might just mark the start of this seismic shift.

I wrote this on a flight to Las Vegas for CES, the annual celebration of consumer tech. Will my predictions hold true? I will experience that in the coming days.

If you want to hear more about the intersection of technology and society, check out ‘Virtual,’ a new podcast I’m co-hosting with VRT journalist Tim Verheyden. Each week, we’ll dive into the latest tech news, welcome a guest, and explore one big idea.

The podcast is in Dutch and available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to subscribe!