By now, you are aware of Apple’s groundbreaking XR headset, the Vision Pro. Those who have used it all marvel at its features, graphics and immersive capabilities. Apple will bring it to market in early 2024, and I do not doubt that from the beginning, it will become the gold standard in XR headsets. Given my knowledge of the supply chain, I believe Apple can only make between 250,000 and 400,000 devices in 2024, and I expect every one of them to sell as fast as Apple can deliver them. That is because thousands of developers, gamers, enterprise and vertical companies, and early adopters won’t flinch at its $3500 price tag and snap them up once they come out.
On the other hand, this price tag will be less attractive to the broader consumer market. Yet, the release of Apple’s Vision Pro will accelerate the interest in VR, especially AR. This new device will ignite interest in lower-cost alternatives to deliver basic XR/AR functions in the form of regular glasses.
Interestingly, the holy grail for XR glasses will be when you can get all of the features and functionality in the Vision Pro into standard eyeglasses format. However, Apple’s technology to deliver immersive XR experiences in the Vision Pro is still too large and compute-intensive to fit into any form factor smaller than what Apple has today in its new headset.
Various lower-cost alternatives have been around for a few years, but only now are we seeing more interest in some form of wearable headset that can deliver XR and AR capabilities.
At the high end, we have products like HTC’s Vive Pro 2 and XR Elite, Varjo’s VR-3 and others targeted for vertical business solutions and serious gamers.
Then there are models with more consumer-favorable pricing like Meta’s Quest 3 that is priced at $499 and has garnered a lot of interest and demand since it came out June 2023.
All of these mentioned above are in the form of goggles and are not meant to be worn in mobile settings or for an extended period of time.
This year, two other glasses-like form factors got more attention. They deliver two distinct functionalities, but both provide a form of wearable computing. These are often called smart glasses.
The two with the highest profiles are the ones from Rokid Max AR Glasses, and Xreal’s Air 2 Pro. Both are under $500 and have minimal AR functionality, but they have one feature that makes them alluring. Both can deliver a large-screen, virtual theater-like experience for streaming videos. Over time, they will get software upgrades to add more AR functions, but the sizeable private screen feature is the big draw today.
The other smart glasses that got a lot of attention are Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer Smart Glasses. While these glasses do not deliver large-screen theater experiences like the ones from Rokid and Xreal, they have built-in cameras that make it easy to take photos and videos on demand. This feature is nice since I no longer need to take my smartphone out of my pocket to use a camera, and it makes it possible to do this anytime I want to and on demand. Wired.com did a great review on these glasses that describes their features and function in great detail.
One interesting rumor about the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer glasses is that over time and in new models, they may become more AR feature-rich, which will allow a person to eventually see virtual information. This would make them even more interesting, but as a wearable camera, it has serious merit in its own right.
Although I don’t think 2024 will be an explosive year for XR goggles or AR-like glasses, it will be a turning point for this market segment. Apple’s Vision Pro is a game changer and will define what is possible in the virtual world and spatial computing. Products from Rokid and Xreal will drive new interest in the glasses form factor, and as they get smarter, they can gain momentum with a broader audience.
The Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer and others entering this specific segment in 2024 will draw more interest to the overall AR glasses concept that the market can build on more aggressively in 2025 and beyond.
Maria Malik is your guide to the immersive world of Virtual Reality (VR). With a passion for VR technology, she explores the latest VR headsets, applications, and experiences, providing readers with in-depth reviews, industry insights, and a glimpse into the future of virtual experiences.
