Smart Glasses
Apple considering Meta Ray-Ban rival, Vision Pro wasn’t company’s original plan
Ever since the Apple Vision Pro came out in February of this year it’s been subject to a lot of attention, good and bad. But according to Bloomberg’s Apple insider Mark Gurman, Vision Pro wasn’t even the company’s original vision, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Apparently, Apple’s current Mixed Reality headset came about due to the limitations of technology today. The company actually wanted to make AR glasses, which would’ve been a much more socially accepted form factor for a wearable XR device. Vision Pro was, according to Gurman, a “compromise of sorts”.But you know what’s really taken off in the last year? Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, which recently also got Meta AI support. Though Meta is also working on AI-powered AR smart glasses, the Ray-Ban glasses sold so well that the company restructured its XR division to focus more on similar wearables.
AI smart glasses are the latest gadget gold rush for Chinese tech firms
Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered eyewear has become the latest smart gadget trend for Chinese tech firms rushing to profit from consumer excitement around combining generative AI with wearables following Ray-Ban’s release of the Meta smart glasses.
One of the latest companies to enter the market is Xiaomi-backed start-up Superhexa, which this month launched its AI audio glasses Jiehuan.
Compared with overseas offerings, the Jiehuan frames are competitively priced at 699 yuan (US$98). Functionally, though, they are similar to competing products by offering quick access to large language models (LLMs) – the technology underpinning intelligent chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT – through the use of built-in speakers and microphones.
“It took millions of years for humans to evolve and develop two hands; it’s a waste to have one hand holding a smartphone,” Superhexa founder and CEO Xia Yongfeng recently quipped to local news outlet tmtpost.com.
The rapid development of generative AI over the past couple of years has given smart glasses a massive intelligence upgrade, helping to boost interest in the wearables by allowing users to instantly query LLMs about their surroundings or have conversations translated in real time.
Ray-Ban and Meta Platforms have been the biggest beneficiaries of this trend since adding AI capabilities to their US$300 camera-equipped smart glasses last year. The new versions have sold more in a few months than the previous versions sold in two years, Francesco Milleri, CEO of Italian-French eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica, which owns Ray-Ban, told Reuters in July.
Sinolink Securities expects shipments to reach 2 million units by the end of the year. In comparison, total shipments of augmented reality glasses last year reached 480,000 units, according to the securities firm.
Qualcomm Joins AR Alliance, Following Meta, Essilor Luxottica, Google and More
This week, the AR Alliance, a group that brings together leaders in the XR industry to drive innovation and success, announced that Qualcomm Technologies will join as the last founding member of its board of directors.?
Qualcomm will join the group following other significant players such as STMicroelectronics, Meta, Essilor Luxottica, Corning, Dispelix, Optofidelity, MICROOLED, and Google.?
The news of Qualcomm joining the AR Alliance comes as the AR smart glasses market is forecasted to take over the XR hardware space.
Recently, Future Market Insights published a report on the growth of AR smart glasses in the next decade. According to the report “Residential and Commercial Smart Glass Market Outlook from 2024 to 2034,” the global market size is expected to reach $58,248 million in 2024 and $187,475 million by 2034.
The report highlights how enterprises invest in smart glass technology due to its impact on reducing energy consumption and promoting sustainability. Additionally, it mentions that integrating features such as voice assistants, self-cleaning properties, and biometrics makes smart glasses more attractive to customers.
However, there are challenges ahead, including the high initial cost and the need for further research into distribution and adoption. Despite these obstacles, a “Smart Augmented Reality Glasses—Global Strategic Business Report” by ResearchAndMarkets indicates significant growth potential for smart glasses.
The report forecasts a substantial increase in the global market for smart glasses, with a projected 13 million units sold by 2030 and a 53.0 per cent Compound Annual Growth Rate from 2023 to 2030. The report also highlights specific regional market forecasts, such as the expected growth in the US and China.
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In addition to smart glasses, ResearchAndMarkets is examining other hardware considerations within the growing smart glasses market, including “simple assisted reality glasses,” which are projected to reach 5 million units by 2030, and MR holographic displays, such as Apple’s Vision Pro, which are expected to grow at a 58.4 per cent CAGR until 2030.
Apple won a Smartglasses patent this week that relates to the use of Ultrasonic Transduces for Position Tracking
On Tuesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple a patent that relates to Ultrasonic Transducers that may be used to track the position of an object. For example, eyewear such as a pair of glasses or other head-mounted device may use ultrasonic transducers to track a user's eye position and gaze direction. To increase positioning accuracy over short-range distances, an array of ultrasonic transducers with different center frequencies may be formed on a common substrate.
In Apple's patent background they note that HMDs such as smartglasses may use gaze tracking circuitry to track a user's gaze. It can be challenging to design gaze tracking circuitry that performs satisfactorily. If care is not taken, the gaze tracking circuitry may produce inaccurate measurements or may exhibit other performance limitations such as excessive power consumption.
Microsoft files patents for Cyclopean-Eye Cameras and Transparent Antennas for Future Smartglasses
In late 2021 Microsoft and Samsung entered into a multi-year project regarding Mixed Reality Headsets and smartglasses. Samsung had acquired DigiLens, a smartglasses company in 2019. A DigiLens video is presented below.
In January 2024 Patently Apple posted a report titled "Two recently published Microsoft patents illustrate that Smartglasses is one of their next Device Projects."
Earlier this month, three new Microsoft patents were published in the U.S. and Europe covering Cyclopean-Eye cameras and transparent antennas for smartglasses. By working with Samsung, Microsoft is hoping to bring quality smartglasses to market ahead of Apple. ?
Apple Glasses: A Closer Look at the Rumored Features and Release
The tech world is abuzz with rumors and speculation surrounding the highly anticipated Apple Glasses. As Apple continues to push the boundaries of innovation, the prospect of a sleek and powerful pair of augmented reality (AR) glasses has captured the imagination of tech enthusiasts worldwide. In the video below, Matt Talks Tech takes a closer look at the potential features and release timeline of the Apple Glasses, comparing them to the groundbreaking Vision Pro and other smart glasses on the market.
The Apple Glasses are expected to build upon the impressive capabilities showcased by the Vision Pro. Known for its immersive AR experiences, the Vision Pro has set a high bar for the future of AR technology. As Apple refines its approach, it is likely that the Apple Glasses will evolve into a more streamlined and compact form factor, making them suitable for everyday wear.
The Apple Glasses are expected to offer a range of innovative features that push the boundaries of AR technology. Some potential capabilities include:
Apple’s commitment to user privacy and data security is well-known, and it is expected to be a key focus in the development of the Apple Glasses. By implementing strong privacy measures, Apple can ensure that users feel confident and secure while using their AR glasses.
Stay Tuned !!