Translator, GPS, camera, projector, manufacturers of connected glasses are multiplying innovations with increasingly discreet models to try to make the difference in a very competitive market.
“We see a lot of connected devices and more and more of them are worn on the face,” observes analyst Avi Greengart, from Techsponential, on the sidelines of the CES technology show, where a good dozen eyewear manufacturers “intelligent” are present.
Gone are the unsightly protrusions like on the venerable Google Glass, the massive frames and the connecting wire of Epson’s Moverio, two pioneers that appeared in the early 2010s.
“Smart glasses”, all synchronized with a smartphone application, look more and more like ordinary glasses, like Ray-Ban Meta, the most popular model currently.
Beyond appearance, market growth “is driven by advances in augmented reality, artificial intelligence (AI) and technological miniaturization, which are pushing the boundaries of what these devices can do,” according to a recent study by MarketsandMarkets.
In this still nascent industry, everything is a matter of positioning, the aspiration to hide technology in increasingly boilerplate models requiring choices to be made regarding the functionalities offered.
The Ray-Ban Meta can thus take photos and videos, play music or provide information on objects in the field of vision.
But they do not offer augmented reality, that is to say superimposed images.
There is no question of it in the medium term, explains Robin Dyer, representative of Meta: “I think that when they come to it, it will probably double the price”.
– 200 dollars –
Price is the other nerve of the war in this market that many Chinese players have taken by storm.
If, in 2013, Google Glass sold for around $1,500 each, some “smart glasses” are today barely more expensive than ordinary frames.
Many Ray-Bans are close to $250, points out Meta representative James Nickerson. The Ray-Ban Meta “starts at 300. That’s 50 dollars more. So, why not? We’ll have a nice camera with it.”
The Chinese start-up Vue has an entry price of $200, for less advanced glasses that allow you to communicate orally with a voice assistant or listen to music.
-Other manufacturers have chosen to favor augmented reality (AR), such as XReal, whose glasses project the screen of your smartphone, personal computer or games console.
Technological advances allow us to move away from the helmet look towards that of classic sunglasses, even if they require connecting a cable to the connected device.
Meta aims to launch its version, the Orion, currently in the testing phase but whose marketing is not expected before 2027, at best.
– Look cool –
Even Realities and Halliday have chosen to develop very thin glasses, impossible to differentiate from basic frames, while offering utilitarian augmented reality.
“Our vision was that if we wanted to make connected glasses well, above all they had to look cool,” describes Carter Hou, number two at Halliday.
The “smart glasses” from this Singaporean start-up display text in the upper corner of the field of vision.
Through this, the glasses, which will be available in March at $489, can, thanks to AI, suggest an answer to a question asked by an interlocutor during a discussion, without even having been asked.
Halliday also offers real-time translation, always during a verbal exchange, or a teleprompter for a presenter who can read his notes without the audience suspecting anything.
“We wanted to take a different path” from many competitors, explains Tom Ouyang, of Even Realities, whose product has many similarities with that of Halliday.
“No speaker, no camera,” he says. “Glasses are made for the eyes, not the ears.”
In general, for Avi Greengart, what connected glasses “offer is useful, it’s a big step forward for this market”.
