In the wake of Meta building its $1000 smart glasses, CEO Mark Zuckerberg thinks anyone who isn’t using the AI devices will fall behind on the times.
Meta’s upcoming futuristic ‘augmented reality’ glasses are set to release later this year, and if you’re not wearing them or something similar, you could be left out of the loop.
If you didn’t know, Meta have long been dabbling in the virtual reality space, beginning with their purchase of VR giant Oculus in 2014 for approximately $2 billion.
But this was just the beginning of their toe-dipping into the industry.
Even though the Metaverse is now a distant and disappointing memory, the company’s leader, Mark Zuckerberg remains happy to continue losing $60 billion in the project in the hopes of advancing tech.
But his ‘AR’ endeavors could prove to be a fruitful investment.
AR (augmented reality) allows you to see the world via an augmented screen, with Meta’s ‘Hypernova’ glasses set to break the mold of wearable technology, as per Bloomberg.
Current prototypes boast a small monocular panel located in the lower-right quadrant of the right-hand lens, so you can view content, use apps, and take pictures through the device.
While you’ll only be able to see it all through one of the glasses’ lenses as the prototype currently stands, there are reportedly plans for a follow up model that would use a binocular display system, so that both eyes can view the screen.
Right now, you can browse camera options, a photo gallery, and messaging apps such as Messenger and WhatsApp via the wearable tech, and nobody will even know you’re knee-deep in a group chat as you stroll around your city.
But what if you don’t have $1000 for his glasses, or simply choose not to do down the route of AI wearable tech?
Then you’re going to miss out.
Zuckerberg has claimed that glasses will be the primary way users interact with AI in the years to come.
During Meta’s second-quarter earnings call, Tech Crunch reported he told investors he believes people without AI glasses will be at a disadvantage.
He allegedly said during the earnings call: “I continue to think that glasses are basically going to be the ideal form factor for AI, because you can let an AI see what you see throughout the day, hear what you hear, [and] talk to you.”
Plus, adding a display to the glasses will unlock even more value, as he said, it could become a wider, holographic field of view, or a smaller display for everyday AI eyewear.
“I think in the future, if you don’t have glasses that have AI — or some way to interact with AI — I think you’re … probably [going to] be at a pretty significant cognitive disadvantage compared to other people,” Zuckerberg noted.
Zuckerberg’s sights are also set on the future of displays and what can be expanded to bring more to users.
“This is … what we’ve been maxing out with Reality Labs over the last 5 to 10 years – basically doing the research on all these different things,” he said.
The Reality Labs division, as per Meta, claimed an operating loss of $4.53 billion in the second quarter, and it has nearly lost $70 million all in all since 2020.
Regardless, the CEO is already planning the avenues it could expand in the future, telling those on the call: “The other thing that’s awesome about glasses is they are going to be the ideal way to blend the physical and digital worlds together.
“So the whole Metaverse vision, I think, is going to … end up being extremely important, too, and AI is going to accelerate that.”
Featured Image Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor / Getty