Facebook on Apple!? Rumors of "Smart Glass" that seems to be moving later this year

https://about.facebook.com/realitylabs/projectaria/

Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, who leads Facebook in the United States, at the financial results announcement held at the end of July, confirmed that the company is working on "smart glasses," glasses equipped with smart functions. The company plans to introduce products in collaboration with the sunglasses brand "Ray-Ban" within the year.

Previous collaboration plans

https://about.facebook.com/realitylabs/projectaria/

This isn't the first time Facebook has opened up about its smart glasses development. The company has been developing smart glasses as an internal project "Orion" for some time, and it was at the 2020 event "Facebook Connect" that the collaboration with Ray-Ban and the release in 2021 were revealed.

Facebook hasn't shared details about its first smart glasses yet, but Zuckerberg said they "take Ray-Ban's signature shape and have great features." The company has also previously revealed that the first smart glasses will not have a display.

Together, Facebook's smart glasses are not advanced devices with a display like Google's "Google Glass", but Amazon's "Echo", which is equipped with a microphone and speaker and can be operated by voice. It is highly likely that it will be a product like Frame. If the product functions are simple, you should be able to expect Ray-Ban's highly designed appearance.

The final goal is AR glasses?

https://about.facebook.com/realitylabs/projectaria/

Zuckerberg also said during the earnings call that the company "continues to move towards a future of full AR (augmented reality) glasses." AR glasses are products that overlay the virtual world on top of the real world by projecting images onto the lens. “Pokémon GO”, which has become a big boom due to the system that walks around the real world and catches monsters, is another example of using AR.

Zuckerberg has his sights set on a big goal called the Metaverse. This means that people interact with AR and VR (augmented reality) and generate economic activity. In order to realize the Metaverse, Facebook acquired the VR headset maker "Oculus" in 2014 and has been working on integrating it with its own specialty social network service.

Facebook isn't the only company working on AR glasses. Snap, which provides the SNS service "Snapchat", announced a new product "Spectacles (4th generation)" in May this year, and there are rumors that Apple and Samsung will also introduce products. It's unclear just how big a business the AR industry will be, but tech companies are doing research and development to get ahead of the competition.

Apple's smart glasses and headset?

https://www.idropnews.com/rumors/apples-ar-glasses-prototype-has-just-entered-phase-two/150246/

Apple, which has created innovations in many fields such as smartphones and smartwatches, seems to be aiming for new markets with a keen eye. Rumor has it that the company is developing not only smart glasses but also VR/AR headsets shaped like goggles.

According to advance information about Apple's smart glasses, the product will be launched at a low price of $ 499 (about 55,000 yen) under the name "Apple Glass". The design is similar to general glasses, and works in conjunction with the iPhone. Product launch is expected by 2025.

On the other hand, according to rumors about AR headsets, it is possible to operate independently by installing a processor in the main body. In addition, by installing a large number of cameras, advanced functions such as eye tracking and video see-through (capturing outside images) are realized. The product will be launched in 2022.

The wearable field, such as smart glasses and headsets, is expected to grow next to personal computers and smartphones. I would like to pay attention to what kind of consumer reaction will be received for smart glasses by Facebook's Ray-Ban collaboration.

Text / Naoki Tsukamoto