Phones drool, glasses rule. That's the mantra Meta is banking on customers adopting. It starts with updates to the company's smart Ray-Ban glasses, but those may be just a stepping stone to a future with holographic augmented-reality glasses, where people can have more lifelike video calls, watch TV, or read text messages, all while still seeing the world around them.
Meta's Vision for the Future
On Wednesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg not only announced that the company was upgrading its smart glasses with new AI features, but he also unveiled a prototype of holographic specs that aren't yet for sale. These glasses, called Orion, reportedly cost Meta somewhere around $10,000 a pair to make — and they're the latest flashy attempt to break through in an industry of wearable AR and VR that has yet to catch on.
The Evolution of Wearable Technology
These wearables have largely flopped and been mocked among the masses. Google Glass set the stage a decade ago and spectacularly failed. It was released before it was ready for prime time — an unfashionable, futuristic camera mounted over the eye that drew ridicule and inevitably weirded people out, thanks to its ability to somewhat surreptitiously record video. Now, despite a rocky start three years ago, Meta's smart glasses are doing better than expected.
The Success of Meta's Smart Glasses
In a July earnings call, Zuckerberg said the second generation of glasses "continue to be a bigger hit sooner than we expected — thanks in part to AI." People were buying the glasses quicker than the company could make them, he said. The market-intelligence firm International Data Corporation says some 700,000 pairs have been shipped since last October.
Features and Functionality of Meta's Smart Glasses
Meta's Ray-Bans have a camera and speaker and are packed with AI. Updates give the wearer real-time translation if someone is speaking with them in Spanish, English, French, or Italian, and they also have features for everyday use, like remembering where you parked your car or helping you create an outfit from the clothes in your closet or make a smoothie with the fruits in front of you.
Challenges and Opportunities in the Wearables Market
Still, wearables are a tough industry. The VR and AR headset market has slumped, declining by 54% from early 2022 to 2023. Despite Apple's splashy release of its Vision Pro earlier this year, the company is not expected to sell more than 500,000 devices this year. VR headsets are "not going to be mass market, ever, in this current form," says George Jijiashvili, the senior principal analyst of games at the research firm Omdia.
The Future of Meta's Orion Glasses
That's what Zuckerberg hopes, too. Even though the Orion glasses won't be sold anytime soon, if ever, he's trying to drum up excitement and convince the world that he can build the future of computing. "These glasses exist. They are awesome," he said. "They are a glimpse of a future that I think is going to be pretty exciting."
Amanda Hoover is a senior correspondent at Business Insider covering the tech industry. She writes about the biggest tech companies and trends.
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By: ahoover@insider.com (Amanda Hoover)
Title: Meta’s Holographic Glasses: The Future of Wearable Technology
Sourced From: www.businessinsider.com/meta-new-ray-ban-smart-glasses-apple-vision-pro-2024-9
Published Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2024 09:56:01 +0000
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