While he once said it was hard to see the appeal of Google Glass, the AR wearable that proved unpopular with consumers, he’s held a consistently positive opinion on AR since at least 2016.
AR features are already available on the iPhone and iPad. And while hope is starting to fade that Apple will release a mixed reality device in 2022, the latest rumors suggest the company is still forging ahead with some kind of AR / VR headset to be released in the not-distant future.
Xu said he welcomes the competition from these titans. “I think the best product will win,” he said.
Nreal has its own operating system called Nebula that runs on its headsets. Like Apple with iOS on iPhones, developers can make apps for Nebula which people can then use via Nreal headsets.
Having compelling apps on AR headsets will be key to their success and Nreal is trying to lure developers onto Nebula. The company currently has 8,000 developers on the platform.
Niantic has been a fairly active investor in the augmented reality hardware space, so there is also the possibility that they’ve done a branding partnership with a startup on a project, but this cryptic image crop is certainly making it look like they’re showcasing a device with first-party branding. There’s also the potential that this is a product in the “smart glasses” category that doesn’t include a display but focuses on building audio or camera functionality into a pair of glasses. Niantic has previously announced that they’ve been working with Qualcomm to help define their reference design for their XR hardware platform.
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Facebook, Apple and Niantic Bet People Are Ready for Augmented-Reality Glasses
tech cycle definition:
A tech cycle is usually a 30-35 year-long period that begins with the early commercialization of a group of technologies and ends with the mass adoption and daily use of the technologies by consumers, businesses and organizations.
Predictions For the XR Tech Space
Some predict the rise of AR glasses, leading to the death of smartphones. Others dream of a future where VR replaces the need to go to a physical office, with most meetings taking place in virtual environments. AI will come to life with AI-controlled avatars participating in VR worlds and advising as our own AR advisors and consultants.
We are still in the early innings of this tech cycle, we are looking at the beginning of the adoption of AR, VR, and AI (mass adoption is quite a few years out). This inevitable future has been accelerated by COVID-19, as many have turned to virtual reality and augmented reality as ways to socialize while keeping a social distance.
Apple’s working on solving this problem, too, according to a report in Nikkei Asia. The newspaper says that Apple is working with TSMC, its primary processor manufacturer, to develop a new kind of augmented reality display that’s printed directly on wafers, or the base layer for chips.
If Apple does eventually reveal a big leap forward in AR display technology — especially if the technology is developed and owned by Apple instead of a supplier — Apple could find itself with multi-year head-start in augmented reality as it did when the iPhone vaulted it to the head of the smartphone industry.
Apple is also adding hardware to its iPhones that hint at a headset-based future. High-end iPhones released in 2020 include advanced Lidar sensors embedded in their camera.
Microsoft has invested heavily in these kind of technologies, purchasing AltspaceVR, a social network for virtual reality, in 2018. Before it launched Hololens, it paid $150 million for intellectual property from a smartglasses pioneer.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks the most in public about his hopes for augmented reality. Last year, he said, “While I expect phones to still be our primary devices through most of this decade, at some point in the 2020s, we will get breakthrough augmented reality glasses that will redefine our relationship with technology.”
Given that Apple is reportedly launching its own AR headset in 2022 and Apple AR glasses in 2023, Magic Leap will have to make serious improvements to its platform in order to stay in a game that will soon become a lot more competitive.
We’re now seeing a move toward mid-range, standalone VR headsets with everything built into the device. Some include their own processors, while others, like the forthcoming Microsoft headset, will work with current desktops. Microsoft’s device claims to do both VR and a modified version of mixed reality
The low end of the VR spectrum has been dominated by Google Cardboard, with over 10 million distributed
Augmented Reality
AR burst into the public’s consciousness with the Pokemon Go craze in 2016. And Snap (formerly Snapchat) expanded the range of their social media platform with the release of Spectacles, their wearable glasses and World Lens filters that add digital objects to your environment. A second version of Spectacles may include far more extensive AR capabilities.
At Facebook’s spring F8 conference, Mark Zuckerberg made the case that our mobile cameras will be the first popular AR platform. Apple just announced ARKit for iOS at their June WWDC developers conference.
Mixed Reality
Meta Glasses has been developing its own mixed reality unit that offers a wider field of view than the 40° of HoloLens. And Intel’s Project Alloy promises a “Merged Reality” headset prototype combining both VR and AR by the end of this year.
Kickstarter Projects
Aryzon which is creating a Google Cardboard-like device for simple AR experiences. Another is the NOLO Project, which offers an HTC Vive-like experience with full freedom of movement using only a plastic headset and your phone.
Market research firm Technavio has identified the top five vendors in the global augmented reality (AR) in education market. The companies are EON Reality, DAQRI, GAMOOZ, Magic Leap and QuiverVision, according to a newly published report.
The competition narrows down between Microsoft HoloLens, Facebook Oculus and Google Glass. Each of them bets on different possibilities, which wearable bring.
