Mark ZuckerbergCEO of Meta, has a great and very optimistic view of the metaverso and hopes someday we can literally see her all like him, thanks a couple of augmented reality glasses. AR glasses, according to Zuckerberg, are the “Holy Grail” that will revolutionize technology as smartphones did a few years ago. But when will these Meta augmented reality glasses really come out?
Zuckerberg goes all-in on the metaverse thanks to glasses for augmented reality
The founder of Meta – formerly Facebook – defines AR glasses as a device “Sacred Graal” that “will redefine our relationship with technology”. During the video announcing Facebook’s corporate rebranding in Meta last October, they acted as connective tissue for his discourse on the metaverse. At one point, Zuckerberg even wore them while he was talking to a hologram.
Zuckerberg has ambitious goals for when his high-tech eyewear becomes a reality. It seems he wants to publish the first version by 2024 and a lighter, more advanced design is already being worked on for 2026, followed by a third version in 2028, as The Verge claims.
The CEO of Meta has therefore big hopes for its smart glasses, but sources suggest it will actually take a lot longer than the predetermined time. The demonstrations made during Meta’s presentation, such as being able to play virtual chess on a real table with someone’s avatar, were not based on any working hardware or software. And Meta doesn’t have a working prototype yet and wearable of his AR glasses.
The rush to improve one’s reputation
So why is Mark Zuckerberg in such a rush to bring users closer to the metaverse with his smart glasses? Those familiar with the thought of him say that it is what animates the entrepreneur’s drive the desire to present the company he founded as innovative once again. The reputation of Meta’s social network has been tainted by a series of scandals; regulators are trying to limit the company’s reach, and in Silicon Valley, Zuckerberg certainly doesn’t have a good reputation. If the AR glasses and other futuristic hardware that Meta is building catches on, could give the company and the CEO a new light.
Additionally Zuckerberg sees the AR glasses, nicknamed Project Nazareas a solution for escape the restrictions of Apple and Google, which determine the terms that apps like Facebook must abide by. Nazare should be designed for work independently of a smartphonewith the presence of a separate wireless device that takes care of the operation of the glasses.
In addition to Nazare, a separate pair of cheaper smart glasses codenamed Hypernova is also planned for 2024. Unlike Nazare, Hypernova it will pair with your smartphone to show incoming messages and other notifications via a smaller head-up display.
Meta hopes to sell a lot of AR glasses
Metain general, hopes to sell tens of millions of smart glasses by the end of the decade. However, it’s unclear whether users will really get close to this kind of device in the next few years: similar products from Microsoft, Snapdragon and other companies haven’t caught on as hoped. While it will take some time for the glasses to sell out in bulk, Zuckerberg spared no expense. The displays are powered by expensive components and microLEDs. The first version will have the eye detection and a front-facing camera, along with stereo sound in the frame.
Photo credits: Meta.
Perhaps the most futuristic aspect of the early versions of both Nazare and Hypernova is a wrist device that Meta plans to combine with glasses to control them, hypothetically, with the mind of the wearer. The bracelet uses l’EMG to measure electrical impulses in the neurons of the arm. It therefore essentially creates the effect of a phantom limb: the wearer can use it to interact with the glasses.
What is certain is that the stakes for Meta are very high. Its division that produces hardware and related software for the metaverse has grown to approximately 18,000 peoplecosting the company $ 10 billion last year alone. Zuckerberg said he plans to increase spending on building AR and VR hardware in the years to come, a huge gamble that is happening as his business is under pressure from many sides.