The smart glasses battle heats up Apple and OpenAI tipped to be working on Meta-rivaling wearable

Date:
Tue, 05 Nov 2024 11:19:12 +0000

Description:
Both Apple and OpenAI are rumored to be working on their own smart glasses that could rival Metas best efforts.

FULL STORY ======================================================================New Apple report claims it's planning to enter the smart glasses space Former
Meta AR glasses head is also now leading OpenAI's hardware team The two companies products are several years away from launching

If youve been following Apple rumors in recent years, youll know that the company reportedly doesn't just want to just develop mixed-reality headsets like the Vision Pro and call it a day it wants to create full-blown smart glasses that are indistinguishable from a regular pair of specs.

Before now, thats mostly remained mostly the realm of speculation and leaks . But now, it seems that Apple is taking some solid steps towards understanding what it needs to do to make a set of augmented reality (AR) glasses that can compete with rivals like the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses .

According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman , Apple has started conducting internal surveys of other smart glasses available on the market. The focus groups (codenamed Atlas) are comprised of Apple employees rather than members of the public to keep things as secret as possible (although that hasnt stopped Gurmans report) and see various Apple workers log what they like and dislike about existing smart eyewear.

The goal is to help Apple understand what people want from a set of AR
glasses and what sorts of features, materials and price points would work for its own device. Whatever the outcome, we may not see the results of these efforts for another few years, but it's the first sign that Apple is actively looking to break into the world of the best smart glasses . OpenAI enters the fray (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Rival companies like Meta have found success by offering relatively
accessible smart glasses that may not be as technologically advanced as what Apple wants to achieve, but still offer users plenty of useful features for a comparatively affordable price.

And it looks like another one of Apples rivals is thinking of entering the smart eyewear market, as Caitlin Kalinowski, the former head of Metas AR glasses team, has just joined ChatGPT maker OpenAI to lead their robotics and consumer hardware division (via TechCrunch ). Its fueled speculation that OpenAI could be seeking to make its own pair of AR glasses.

Kalinowski previously oversaw Metas Orion AR prototype , as well as leading the hardware team behind Metas virtual reality eyewear for nine years.
Posting on LinkedIn , Kalinowski wrote: In my new role, I will initially
focus on OpenAIs robotics work and partnerships to help bring AI into the physical world and unlock its benefits for humanity.

That all means competition could soon heat up for the smart glasses crown. With Apple and OpenAI looking to enter within the next few years, it could be a fascinating time if you want to see the next evolution in wearable technology. You might also like The best smart glasses 2024: the top AI and
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/the-smart-glasses-battle-heats-up-apple-an d-openai-tipped-to-be-working-on-meta-rivaling-wearable


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