For the moment, the market for augmented reality smart glasses isn't really one: while there are prototypes, there are no models for the general public. You can, of course, find Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, which are certainly connected, but they aren't really AR—they don't have a screen.
Snap ready to do battle in augmented reality
This should change in the coming months. Google has already announced that its dedicated operating system, Android XR, will run AR frames from Xreal and Samsung; the search engine is also preparing its own models designed with major eyewear manufacturers like Warby Parker. Meta also has Ray-Bans with integrated screens in its portfolio. And it's rumored that Apple is working on the subject.
Snap is one of the pioneers in the sector, and the Snapchat publisher intends not to be a sideshow. In 2016, the company launched the first generation of Spectacles, glasses similar to Meta's Ray-Ban: no screen, but a photo sensor in the frame.
Several generations followed, but it was with the 4th generation, in 2021, then the 5th last year, that Snap revealed its cards: these models are "real" AR glasses, with translucent screens on which graphic elements in the user's environment are displayed.
The 2024 release allows Snap to bring together a community of developers around the platform. And their creations will be very useful when the company launches its first AR glasses for the general public. That moment will not be long in coming: Snap CEO Evan Spiegel has announced a launch in 2026. We are promised "an ultra-powerful wearable computer integrated into a pair of lightweight glasses, equipped with transparent lenses that enrich the physical world with immersive digital experiences."
The announcement, made during a conference at Augmented World Expo, was not very rich in technical details. But Evan Spiegel was still willing to reveal to The Verge that these future Spectacles—renamed Specs for the occasion—will cost less than a Vision Pro. This is good news, considering that Apple's mixed reality headset costs €4,000! The Specs, however, should cost more than Ray-Ban and Meta glasses, which cost around €330.
The Specs glasses will be significantly thinner and lighter than the current, rather bulky model. And the field of vision will be wider. This model won't go into battle empty-handed: not only will Snap be able to rely on the apps developed for the previous model, but also on the approximately 400,000 developers who design Lenses (more than 4 million to date) and increasingly complex AR effects for Snapchat.
The glasses will also allow the use of MyAI, Snap's chatbot, and interact with the environment without storing video, a more privacy-friendly approach. Snap is also working with Niantic Spatial, a spinoff from the creator of Pokémon Go, to create a smart AR map capable of helping the glasses understand and interpret the real world.
0 Comments