RE:RE:Urbanimmersive Announces Accelerated Growth Plan and ProvideI don't think its as simple as that. There have been plenty of instances in history where the "superior technology" doesn't win out (VHS vs. Betamax, Blu-Ray vs. Green-Ray, etc.) either due to poor marketing strategy, lack of funding, lack of promotion, product fit, different features, etc. Matterport is clearly backed by superior funding and with a massively inflated marketing budget when compared to UI who has had to bootstrap themselves to where they're at currently. It is hard to know which is really the superior technology at this point without being an expert in the field but we also know that in many instances switching costs are high in enterprise / workplace environments.
Whether that means learning a new editing process, re-organizing or moving large cahces of files, switching cameras, changing workflows, etc. Many consumers / photographers are probably hesitant to change. I'm sure many folks on this thread have experienced something similar with a new software, technology, or process at work.
These acquisitions, which not even accounting for any synergistic upside in SAAS, are immediately accretive to UI. So, even if they get nothing out of it on the SAAS side (worst-case scenario) the base business will contribute to both top and bottom lines. What it allows them to do is to integrate themselves with these photographers and show them the value proposition first hand. Many companies conduct "acquistions" to acquire customers, this isn't a new concept. Paid acquisition whether its done through marketing spend or phyiscal acquisition of customers is a growth strategy.
I think this is going to be a major win for UI down the road. Assuming they convert a decent # of photographers from Matterport to their solutions it will only be a matter of time before Matterport comes knocking with a large check in hand.