Although face computers are the way of the future, the world isn’t quite ready yet. That’s the conclusion that Meta and Apple have reached. The Apple Vision Pro and the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses both display it. Though it isn’t their main goal, neither of them quite lives up to our expectations of what actual augmented reality should be. They are intended to give the people a taste of the future while preparing them for it.
Thus far, Meta’s smart glasses have performed better in that regard.
I’m not claiming that the Vision Pro is a subpar item. Although I haven’t had enough time to use it, what I have established is that this mixed-reality headset is the best in terms of technology that I have ever used. When it comes to hardware innovation, Meta’s smart glasses are nothing compared to the Vision Pro. However, while Apple devoted its immense resources to creating the greatest headset available today, Meta chose to focus on creating more affordable devices that consumers would actually want to use.
Sales support what I’ve said. Meta’s Reality Labs set a record for revenue last quarter thanks to sales of Quest 3. For the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, we didn’t receive a breakdown, but there was enough interest and demand for them to continue producing more. As an example, consider how enamored my wearable-skeptic hubby is with them. Now they each have a pair. This nerd went and acquired a prescription for them so they could wear them everywhere, along with transition lenses. They produce a lot of driving content, such as first-person point-of-view movies, and although these glasses aren’t flawless, they are revolutionary since they will never again need to affix a GoPro to their head. Apart from that, it’s just another chic set of Ray-Bans.
It’s probable that their excitement for the Meta glasses will fade. I’m currently experiencing cognitive disorientation from witnessing my partner, who has always believed that smart glasses are a bad idea, adopt them so rapidly.
Videos of early adopters using the Vision Pro in public settings are available in the interim. They are silly. You can’t resist the impulse to laugh, point, and channel your inner Nelson Muntz, even if you enjoy the hardware.
It was a wise move for Apple to concentrate on creating the greatest headset it could. Apple is popular with most people. Apple’s decision to produce a headgear is a statement to non-techies that everything is possible. Consumer sales of it indicate that it has already occurred. It doesn’t matter that these headsets have been available for ten years. It’s being done by Apple right now, and it will be the greatest.
This is mostly dependent on Apple’s reputation, which customers find trustworthy enough to overlook the absurd barrier to admission. Whoa, there are enough capable, accomplished, and prestigious individuals here who will stick with it long enough for you to repair what’s broken. A few wearable predecessors exist. At first, people believed it was absurd to wear AirPods. On the metro, I seem to recall hearing threats that their ears would be taken. These days, every train passenger wears them. The Apple Watch was an expensive device with no clear purpose when it was first introduced. Only in Series 3 did it start to gain traction. It is currently the most widely used smartwatch worldwide. The Vision Pro might be able to accomplish the same task in theory. Strong preorders notwithstanding, demand is anticipated to decline.
However, Meta’s more approachable methodology is a better way to understand what AR can be. The glasses fit into your present lifestyle with ease. Yes, the AI assistant beta was a little glitchy when I used it, but that was more a result of the requirement for extremely detailed instructions from AI assistants. It’s helpful to have AI identify objects in photos you took with your glasses. It’s a step toward normalizing the use of face computers to interact with actual items in real space, though it’s more audio-focused than visual AR. particularly in contrast to Vision Pro, which at the moment is more focused on mixed and virtual reality. Although working on the Moon with your Mac’s screen is nice, that isn’t truly augmented reality.
Furthermore, it costs around seven times as much as Quest 3, Meta’s current equivalent of Vision Pro. Although it’s not as ostentatious as the Vision Pro, it now has a lot more functionality. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, was quick to highlight this in his spontaneous assessment of Apple’s headset. Focusing on what you can accomplish right now will offer consumers a reason to stay around, according to Meta’s plan. If they remain, it means that they have already accepted your vision for the future.
How well Apple’s tried-and-true strategy will work is still up in the air. However, a frequent gripe I’ve heard from Vision Pro users is that they are at a loss for things to do with it other than watch movies. Furthermore, it’s too soon to tell if users of Meta Glass will remain around in the long run. (They didn’t, for the Ray-Ban Stories, anyway.) One thing is known, though: Zuckerberg stated at the conclusion of his Vision Pro review that sales of the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses have been far above his expectations.
