What They Say
Meta is said to be planning new AR glasses under the name “Project Nazare” and they are said to be stand-alone, not needing a smartphone, and with a smartwatch that has a heart rate monitor and to serve as an input device to the glasses. The tech for interaction is said by the Verge to be based on the acquisition of CTRL-Labs in 2019. Mark Zuckerberg wants the introduction to be an ‘iPhone moment’ according to a Meta employee.
The article said that Meta sold 120K of the glasses that it developed with Ray-Ban between September and December last year, well short of a 300K target and that the firm is developing a second generation.
For Project Nazare, Meta is said to be aiming for a 2024 introduction and current prototypes are said to have a weight of around 100gms and a narrower field of view than the 70° that was the original aspiration. The OS is likely to be built on Android as a plan to use Google’s open-source Fuchsia OS was abandoned as it won’t be ready by then. The aim is then to have a lighter version by 2026 with a third generation in 2028.
The Project Nazare headset is likely to be expensive, so sales forecasts are low at present.
Separately, DSCC uprated its forecast for AR and VR headsets and forecast that revenues will reach $9.3 billion in 2027, with VR and passthrough AR dominant. While LCD will be the main display device technology until 2025, after that OLED on silicon is expected to be the largest with 48% share in 2027. Along with other commentators, DSCC believes that Apple’s rumoured AR headset will be released in 2023, rather than this year.
What We Think
I’m trying hard not to make this ‘Metaverse Daily’, although there is lots of news and information coming out. (BR)
Current Meta prototypes are reported to have a ‘Clark Kent’ look. Image:C|Net video capture
Source: DSCC’s Biannual Augmented and Virtual Reality Display Technologies and Market Report
