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Silicon Valley’s search for a consumer device to succeed the smartphone has revived an idea that crashed and burnt almost a decade ago: Google Glass-style headsets.
The difference this time is that the new wave of smart glasses, led by Meta’s Ray-Bans, are infused with artificial intelligence. Developers and device makers hope that constant, easy access to ChatGPT-style assistants will win over consumers in a way that Glass failed to do.
Much of the buzz around tech headsets in recent months has focused on Apple’s upcoming launch of its long-awaited Vision Pro, a large and pricey “mixed-reality” device that can show realistic 3D holograms.
But some of the biggest cheerleaders of those kinds of headsets are now putting their weight behind the concept of simpler glasses that rely more on voice than visuals.
“We see an incredible potential [for smart glasses], especially as you use audio and large language models as an interface,” said Cristiano Amon, chief executive of Qualcomm, the mobile chipmaker whose processors power Meta’s Ray-Bans as well as its Quest virtual reality headsets.
Silicon Valley’s longstanding aspiration that consumers will wear cameras on their faces and talk to virtual assistants through their glasses has failed to materialise, however.
Google unveiled Glass, futuristic smart glasses featuring a camera that could be controlled by voice commands, in 2012.
The company shelved the product for consumers in early 2015, after wearers of the $1,500 headset had been dubbed “glassholes” for bringing cameras into unwelcome situations and in a few cases physically assaulted.
That did not deter companies including Magic Leap, Amazon and Snap from launching smart glasses in the years since, but none has achieved mass-market success.
The first version of Meta’s Ray-Bans, which had cameras and tiny speakers built into their frames, launched in 2021. It sold just 300,000 units, according to a Wall Street Journal report this summer, suggesting it remains a niche product. Meta has not confirmed the figure.
But a successor introduced in September boasts improved AI capabilities. The company is testing the ability to ask its assistant questions and to recognise objects seen by its cameras, with a view to rolling out the features more widely in 2024.
“I think it surprised a lot of people in terms of how well that [the new Meta Ray-Bans] was received,” said John Hanke, chief executive of Niantic, the company that popularised smartphone-based AR with the game Pokémon Go. “I think this version is the right device at the right time.”
Meta has not disclosed sales figures for the new headset. Nonetheless, Hanke, whose company has worked with Qualcomm to build prototype mixed-reality headsets, said he now believed lightweight, lower-cost smart glasses were a “much bigger opportunity” than devices such as Apple’s Vision Pro, which will cost $3,499.
For Meta, which has invested billions in sophisticated VR headsets for immersing the user in virtual worlds, smart glasses with no display at all may seem a far cry from its original “metaverse” vision. But Mark Zuckerberg, Meta chief executive, said he expected the two kinds of headsets to merge over the next decade. In the meantime, the Facebook parent’s push into smart glasses reflects Meta’s renewed focus on AI.
OpenAI chief Sam Altman has discussed creating an AI wearable device with former Apple designer Sir Jony Ive and SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son, people familiar with the matter have told the Financial Times.
Meanwhile, Samsung has filed trademarks in the US and UK for “Samsung Glasses” and “Galaxy Glasses”, prompting speculation that it might be working on a rival to Meta’s smart glasses.
“We really are at the cusp of better experiences,” said Carolina Milanesi, analyst at Creative Strategies. “It’s very different to the Google Glass thing.”
Additional reporting by Cristina Criddle
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