Facebook, Apple and Niantic Bet People Are Ready for Augmented-Reality Glasses | Hacker News Reader

Facebook, Apple and Niantic Bet People Are Ready for Augmented-Reality Glasses

wsj.com

17 pointsbookofjoe22 comments

It seems clear if you look out long enough (assume high quality everything, and fast bandwidth) that these will replace smartphones (AR) and represent the next generation of the internet (AR & VR).

Curious who people think the biggest winners will be.

I'm thinking Facebook (huge headstart, unlimited budget), Apple (incredible at hardware+softare) + ??

Part of me thinks Google may be another contender but they don't seem to be investing as much as FB and Apple (correct me if I'm wrong). It's a real shame if they get left behind seeing as they seem to have a lot of the components of what could be a compelling AR experience (maps, translations, google lens, etc.). If Facebook's AR glasses catch on then Google could find themselves in the same position Microsoft was in during the Android/Windows Phone era.

For sure, but Google has never done well with hardware, and that seems essential for this. So I think you're right -- Google could end up being odd one out, or perhaps offering a version of Android on other people's hardware.

Also I'd consider Microsoft too. Its Hololens is the best AR device available currently. Although it focuses on enterprise and still clunky to use, the company has quite good track record recently and I have faith in them.

If just Apple vs. Facebook, I'd vote for Apple. Apple would rather kill a product than release anything mediocre or exprimental.

I hope and expect that you're right: a) no-one needs any more Facebook in their lives, and b) Apple will probably start off decently and then can iterate.

I'd throw Snap in the mix as well. Spectacles were not really a failure because it was never meant to be a mass market success. I think they're iterating in public. It's much better to do that, than stay secretive for years together and then launch an underwhelming product like Magic Leap. Snap has the AR capabilities and is the closest to getting people to wear hardware on their head in a casual setting.

Capturing images/video is the least interesting component of AR though. Until the spectacles begin to, you know, augment the world of the user through the introduction visual/auditory content - they will always be niche.

“ Snap has the AR capabilities and is the closest to getting people to wear hardware on their head in a casual setting”. I would also contest that Apple and others are already doing this through auditory augmentations via Airpods and similar earbuds/headphones.

It will need a paired device to operate decently. FB doesn’t have anything like a smart phone they control and sell. So they will need to depend on Android or iOS.

Google buying Snap might work out for Google - they released a crappy Google glass way too early and might be more successful buying Snap.

Wow, great point. So +1 for Apple.

I believe this is what the massive privacy push by Apple is all about: creating a platform people will trust when computing becomes personal beyond the current definition of personal. Also, in a first phase, these glasses would be an Apple Watch-like device. They will add potential to the ecosystem, with a dedicated set of APIs, but in strong connection with the iPhone. I see no other company as well positioned as Apple to get this yet-to-be-defined new computing interface just right.

I think people are ready for AR glasses. Just not the ones getting released in the next two years.

Other than gaming, there are so many enterprise applications for AR glasses like the medical, construction and repair fields where it can be a game changer (pun not intended) and better and even save lives.

However the form factor would probably include some head accessory for extended battery life or have it integrated with hard hats. The last thing you need is the battery to die during surgery. But I can see how it can assist all forms of surgery even for non-doctors in say a war zone.

https://archive.ph/51ZdS

Can anyone recommend any reading that takes AR seriously rather than a game playing gimmick?

Disclaimer: self-promoting comment.

https://initsix.dev/a-brave-new-agumented-world/

Thank you. Do you work in this area?

No, not yet, but like to daydream :D

The tech is here, or almost here so there is a possibility for development of new ways of interacting with data and integrating it in our lives.

I mean, as a kid I was jealous of the people who experienced the PC revolution. What a time to be alive,but I was wrong. This is the time to be alive if you are into computers and development. I guess the playground is now opened for a big leap forward, and with accessible HW and open source SW, it could be grit and vision that determines who does something spectacular now.

Anyone have experience of wearing these over normal glasses ?

Pictures I've seen of Oculus don't make it look like it would be all that comfortable ?

At least with Google Glass (r.i.p.) you could combine it with prescription lenses iirc. I can only assume that would be offered for other AR glasses.

Sigh. I loved my 2013 Google Glass Explorer Edition until Google stopped supporting them in February 2020. So much better than a phone cam for making POV videos requiring changing field of view while using both hands to fabricate.

Oculus feels fine to me, more comfortable then the index at least. Though for the index I've switched to prescription lenses which is obviously the most comfortable choice.

I wear glasses with the Oculus. I use the spacer that you get get for it to move the screen a little further from my face. It generally works well as long as Oculus lenses and glasses lenses are very clean.

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