Apple’s expensive Vision Pro platform for augmented reality is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2024. By the end of this year, I predict that the platform of the future will be — drumroll, please — the AI glasses.
Wait, what?
That’s right. The sleeper hit for the year will be glasses that allow you to interact with artificial intelligence (AI) while wearing your face. The buzz surrounding market leader Meta is already underway.
The Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses were initially met with collective shrugging. Announced in September, they shipped in October. The Meta glasses were initially viewed as camera glasses like Snap Spectacles or virtual assistant glasses like Amazon’s Echo Frames. It’s also a slight upgrade over their Meta predecessors, Ray-Ban Stories. Spectacles Echo Frames, and Ray-Ban Stories did not impress the gadget-loving audience.
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Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, starting at $299, offers an array of features that are superior to these inferior gadgets. They include a better camera, high-quality audio, and the ability to stream live to social media.
Here’s an example of the quality of my photos and a video.
In December, three things occurred that caused Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses to go viral online.
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Meta first announced a closed beta version of its “multimodal feature. The “Hey Meta” command allows users to summon the Meta Assistant anytime. However, the “multimodal feature” adds the “look” command which sends an image taken by the glasses camera for analysis and processing.
You can ask your glasses to scan a table of ingredients and condiments, and then give you a recipe using them — without having to touch anything. Meta’s AI can be used to interact with both visual and spoken input. The result is a powerful and revolutionary combination.
Second, tech writers began to form a consensus about how Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses are truly transformative. Although I praised them back in October a critical majority of my colleagues only started to get excited about them last month.
Kimberly Gedeon, a Mashable contributor, said: “The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses positively stunned me.”
Filipe Esposito, from 9to5Mac, wrote: “Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses convinced me to believe that smart glasses are possible.”
NET’s Scott Stein said (about the “multi-modal” feature) that “the demo wowed me because I had never seen anything like it.”
The third Ray-Ban Meta video has been a huge hit on TikTok, as well as other social networks.
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It’s already on the market
There are several AI glasses on the market. Lucydlyte Smart Glasses Powered by ChatGPT, for example, was announced as early as August. Reviewers say that the glasses are cheap, but have a low-quality sound.
The Solos AirGo 3 also allows access to ChatGPT through the glasses. These products have received more positive feedback than Lucyd Lyte’s products.
Amazon has just released the third generation of its Echo Frames. These frames do not have a camera, but they are still only $30 cheaper than Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses. They also let you use Amazon’s Alexa, which isn’t LLM-based AI.
There are other AI wearables on the market and more will be. It’s already pretty easy to talk with AI using earbuds. The issue with this platform, however, is that no one wears it all day every day.
Smartwatches can also be used to access AI. You can use an app to ask AI questions through your smartwatch. The problem is that the sound from watches is generally too quiet and loud for other people.
Humane has released its AI Pin. It is a magnetic device that weighs 55 grams and attaches to clothing. The device uses a microphone and camera for input, and a laser beam and speaker for output. It is refreshing to see a completely new wearable platform. It’s too much to ask the public to pin anything to their clothing, which is not always possible or recommended. Humane AI Pin has no chance of success on the market.
The form factor is important
The glass’s form factor is the main reason why all of these wearables won’t catch on as AI-interface devices. These glasses have a temple or arm that is positioned perfectly to deliver high-quality audio to the ears. The wearer will enjoy the sound, but others nearby won’t be able to hear it. They’re also large enough to accommodate batteries, antennae, and other electronic components.
Ray-Ban Meta frames prove that can be stylish and still hold a high-quality digital camera with a light for others to see when you are taking pictures or videos.
Many people already wear glasses daily. Ray-Ban offers progressive lenses, prescription lenses, or both. Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses have inspired people to wear clear indoor glasses. For those who already wear eyeglasses, choosing AI frames makes sense.
Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses dominate the AI glasses market because they are of a much higher quality and cost less than their competitors. Ray-Ban Meta is more expensive than dozens of Ray-Ban sunglasses without any electronic components.
As soon as Amazon released the Echo, competitors of repute quickly appeared. In the next two years, we can expect competitors like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, as well as Apple, to enter the AI glasses market.
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This is what I look forward to. Meta has shown that AI glasses can be irresistible if the experience is seamless and of high quality.
Google will have no choice but to release smart glasses (probably Pixel-branded), because AI glasses are what most people will use instead of Search.
Meta has beaten Amazon in the market with a product that puts Echo Frames into disrepute. Amazon is looking to collect data from all people and Amazon Fire Glasses, which are modeled after Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, will do the job perfectly.
Apple will be forced to enter the AI glasses market sooner or later, with its platform (possibly branded iGlasses). Like smart watches, glasses combine technology and fashion and require high usability. Apple will find this market irresistible.
My dark horse is that OpenAI will make AI glasses its first hardware product. AI glasses are going to be the most important gadget in 2024.
