AR technology is going through a lot of turbulence. Meta is not releasing a successor to Quest 3 (and no longer selling it to businesses), despite it being a popular device and making VR/AR entertainment affordable for many people. It laid off 10% of Reality Labs recently. I think it’s the calm before the storm.

My bet is that the world of personal assistant electronics will change once this device comes to market:

  • glasses that look and work like normal prescription/sun glasses. Maybe a slightly thicker frame but nothing out of ordinary. Not the bulky batteries and embedded screens like many of the current AR glasses feature (looking at RayNeo Air). It has to be indistinguishable from non-AR glasses. People don’t want to scream “look, I’m wearing something fancy!” in public.
  • waveguide-based screen with at least 70 degrees FOV. Both eyes need to be able to see an overlay - this would support a lot of AR applications, like navigation or translation, including stereo/3D overlays. This sector is moving quickly and is ripe for new products. Magic Leap has not succeeded at the product but it helped to move the tech forward, and the new seeds will pick it up and flourish.
  • hold 1 full day of battery life. Let it charge at night. Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses last 4-8 hours, and that’s without a display, so there is still room for growth.
  • well supported, reliable, and polished UX. Just like there were touchscreens before the iPhone, it needs a certain level of quality to gain momentum.
  • affordable. Has to be below 1K, ideally within 500$ range to succeed.

These glasses will change the world significantly. Every person would find something useful: taking notes, assisting in travel, tracking, coordinating with personal AI systems, entertainment, and more. In terms of time, the technologies I listed are all around the corner. I’d give it a year.

The fun part is - once you have these beauties you wouldn’t need your phone any more! Talking to people, checking the maps, tracking tasks, taking photos - all these are better in your smart glasses. One less device to carry in your pocket, to occupy the arm with. Imagine the market disruption, imagine how Apple survives if it misses the AR train.