The Deepdive
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The Deepdive
Meta's Orion AR Glasses - The Future of Augmented Reality
Imagine a world where your AR glasses could replace your smartphone. Can Meta's Orion AR glasses make this sci-fi future a reality? Join us as we explore the cutting-edge technology behind Meta's latest innovation. From the sleek silicon carbide lenses to the expansive 70-degree field of view, we'll uncover how these glasses are designed to look and feel just like normal eyewear while delivering a truly immersive experience. Learn about the natural hand and eye tracking features and the neural wristband interface that promise an intuitive user experience, making everyday tasks like video calls, getting directions, and following recipes more seamless and hands-free.
We'll also tackle the big question: can Meta dominate the AR market? Discover the critical role of user adoption and the quest for a "killer app" that could make AR glasses as indispensable as smartphones. Reflect with us on both the exciting possibilities and the significant challenges ahead, from technological advancements to competitive hurdles. Imagine a future where AR is ubiquitous, and ponder the profound implications of such a shift. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion that aims to engage your imagination and spark a conversation about the future of augmented reality.
All right, it looks like we're diving into the world of AR glasses today. And not just any glasses we're talking about Meta's super secret Orion project.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's gotten everyone buzzing.
Speaker 1:I've got a ton of articles about it Meta's official announcement. All those live blogs from MetaConnect 2024. Even the Verge got some hands on time with Zuckerberg himself.
Speaker 2:It's definitely more than just hype, though. Meta's aiming high here, like really high. They're talking about replacing your smartphone completely.
Speaker 1:Whoa, hold on. Are we going full sci-fi mode already? I mean, Zuckerberg actually called Orion the Holy Grail device, but is that realistic? Are we really going to ditch our phones for glasses anytime soon?
Speaker 2:That's the big question, right.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:What's interesting to me, though, is how Meta is trying to kind of leapfrog over both smartphones and those clunky VR headsets Right, and Orion seems to be tackling some of those big challenges head on, you know. For example, the Verge really emphasized how these actually look and feel like well normal glasses.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's huge because, let's be honest, nobody wants to walk around looking like they've got a computer strapped to their face. But how do they even make AR glasses look like regular glasses?
Speaker 2:It's all about the lenses.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Orion uses these things called silicon carbide lenses and they're let's just say, they're really hard and really expensive to make right now, but the payoff is that they're way more transparent than the lenses they used before, which is super important if you want that seamless AR experience right, right.
Speaker 1:So that's the secret sauce. Transparency is key, but seeing the world clearly, that's just one piece of the puzzle. What about the actual field of view? Weren't early AR glasses known for that super narrow tunnel vision kind of thing?
Speaker 2:You're right, that was a big issue.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's another area where this Orion seems to be making a significant jump. They're claiming a 70 degree field of view, which is OK, and that's way wider than most of the AR glasses that are out there. I think those are usually stuck around 50 degrees or something OK, but basically the wider the field of view, the more of that augmented world you're actually seeing around you. So it just feels more immersive, less like you're just looking through this tiny window.
Speaker 1:Right, does that make sense? Yeah, no, absolutely Okay. So those are some tech specs even I can get behind. But what good is a wider view if you're stuck using those clunky hand controllers like we've seen on those older VR setups?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you don't want to be stuck with those.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:This is where it gets really cool with Orion. Instead of using those clunky controllers, they're really focusing on using hand and eye tracking to create that more natural, you know intuitive experience.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So imagine like reaching out and interacting with these virtual objects just by moving your hands or, you know, scrolling through menus just with a glance.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the hand tracking. Apparently it's working in conjunction with get this a neural wristband.
Speaker 1:Oh, now you're just teasing us with the future.
Speaker 2:Well, we'll dive into that a little bit later, though, okay.
Speaker 1:Let's move on to what these glasses can actually do. Okay, so we've talked about how Orion looks and feels different. You know the sleek design, the crazy transparency, that wider field of view. But now I want to know what you can actually deal with these things Like what's the killer app that's going to make us all ditch our phones and like fully embrace the whole AR life?
Speaker 2:Right, that's the million dollar question, right. And I think this is where those demos you sent really come into play, because anyone can, can you know, talk about specs and features, but seeing it in action right that's what really gets people excited naturally, and speaking of exciting, did you see that the verge actually made a video call using orion?
Speaker 1:oh, yeah, like full-on video chat, but you're wearing what look like regular glasses.
Speaker 2:I still can't get over that yeah, it's pretty wild, and, uh, the Verge, the call quality was actually really impressive. We do have to remember, though I mean, these are those early, very controlled demos, right so it'll be interesting to see how this kind of tech actually performs out in the real world, with all the distractions and hiccups and everything else, right, of course.
Speaker 1:Good point. Still, though, it's easy to get caught up in the possibilities here, like imagine never having to like big your phone out of your pocket again.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You could just be walking down the street and meta AI like pops up your field of vision to give you directions or answer a question, or even just pull up that smoothie recipe you were looking for.
Speaker 2:Totally. It's all about that seamless integration with you know your daily life right. That smoothie recipe thing, I mean, that's like the perfect example of how Meta actually envisions this. You know Orion working right, hands-free access to all the information and you know assistance. You need just kind of overlaid onto the world in real time.
Speaker 1:Okay, see, now that's straight out of like a futuristic cooking show. No more like smudged phone screens when you're trying to follow a recipe. Exactly, I'm sold. Where do I sign up? But what about like staying connected with people? Can you do you know the usual messaging and like social media stuff through Orion?
Speaker 2:So they did show off some you know hands-free texting and calling features, but there is a bit of a huh.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:A twist, it looks like, instead of seeing the actual person you're talking to, you get their like personalized avatar. Hmm, at least for now.
Speaker 1:Avatars instead of like real faces.
Speaker 2:Hmm.
Speaker 1:I don't know how I feel about that. It seems a little, I don't know, impersonal, maybe Like it. It seems a little, I don't know, impersonal, maybe Like it kind of takes away from the whole being present aspect of a conversation, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I totally see your point. It's definitely a tradeoff. They are apparently working on kind of improving, you know, the realism of the avatars. Yeah right, but it definitely raises some, you know, some interesting questions about privacy and how comfortable we are with this whole like augmented interaction.
Speaker 1:For sure, for sure, okay. So we are with this whole like augmented interaction, right, for sure, for sure, okay. So we've got video calls, ai assistance, even a bit of gaming. I remember that demo with zuckerberg playing pong. It seems like meadow's really trying to like cover all the bases with what orion can do. But you did mention earlier that these are, you know, early prototypes. So what are the downsides, what are the things that are holding orion back being, you know, ready for primetime?
Speaker 2:Well, for starters, battery life seems to be a major hurdle.
Speaker 1:Oh really.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the current prototypes only last for like about two hours of continuous use, which yeah, it's not going to cut it. No, definitely not enough for most people's daily needs.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And then there's the, you know the cost factor.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's the other elephant in the room, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Those silicon carbide lenses might be, you know, incredible for transparency, but they don't sound cheap to produce.
Speaker 2:No, not at all. That Verge article mentioned that each Orion prototype costs. Get this $10,000 to manufacture $10,000. Yeah.
Speaker 1:For one pair of glasses.
Speaker 2:Yeah, those lenses are the main culprit for that price tag. So, you know, while the technology is, you know, obviously mind-blowing, it's not exactly accessible to the average consumer just yet.
Speaker 1:Okay, so maybe ditching my phone for a pair of Orion glasses is not happening anytime soon, but I mean, meta wouldn't be talking about all of this so publicly if they weren't planning to make these things more affordable eventually, right?
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely, you're absolutely right.
Speaker 1:Meta's stated goal is to have, like a consumer ready version of Orion on the market by 2027.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's the goal.
Speaker 1:So they're hoping that as the technology gets better and production scales up, the cost of those silicon carbide lenses will come down.
Speaker 2:Right, hopefully significantly 2027. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's really not that far off when you think about it.
Speaker 2:No, it's not.
Speaker 1:Still makes you wonder, though, like why is Meta so gung ho about replacing our phones with these glasses in the first place?
Speaker 2:Well, I mean.
Speaker 1:What's the bigger picture here?
Speaker 2:In a word, control Zuckerberg has actually been pretty vocal about, you know, not wanting meta to be at the mercy of Apple and Google and their app stores.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:I mean, remember whoever controls like that dominant computing platform, they have a lot of power. Right and right now that smartphones, which is, you know, dominated by Apple and Google.
Speaker 1:So if Orion actually takes off meta, then becomes the like the gatekeeper. Exactly they control the platform, the apps, the whole ecosystem.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:No more playing by someone else's rules.
Speaker 2:Which is a pretty tantalizing prospect for a company like Meta, especially with all those challenges they've had with data privacy and all those antitrust issues, Right. But we also have to remember that they're not the only ones in this race right, right.
Speaker 1:There's Apple with their Vision Pro headset, there's Snap with their AR spectacles. Even Google's trying to, you know, get in on the augmented reality action.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a crowded field. It's a crowded field, yeah.
Speaker 1:So does Meta actually have what it takes to win this thing?
Speaker 2:That's a good question, I think you know. It's a good reminder that in the tech world, especially like, no outcome is guaranteed Right. It's not just about building some you know cool new gadget, it's about actually getting people to use it.
Speaker 1:User adoption.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Right, that's key Convincing people that they need AR glasses in their lives, and not just tech enthusiasts but, you know, like everyday people.
Speaker 2:Exactly Like finding that. What do they call it? The killer app? That one use case that's just so good people are like I have to have these.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I think that's still the big unknown.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. I mean, we're left with more questions than answers at this point. Will Meta actually be able to overcome all the tech challenges?
Speaker 2:Will they be able to convince us to actually bitch our phones for glasses? I don't know. Yeah, and will they be able to, you know, outmaneuver the Apples and Googles of the world in this like race to dominate this whole augmented reality landscape.
Speaker 1:It's a lot to think about.
Speaker 2:It really is. It's really fascinating though.
Speaker 1:It is exciting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like we're witnessing, you know, this potentially revolutionary technology kind of being born right in front of us.
Speaker 1:It's true.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And it's like exciting but also a little bit unnerving at the same time, Right Like thinking about a future where AR is just as common as smartphones are now.
Speaker 2:Right, how would that even work?
Speaker 1:How would that change our lives?
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly Exactly. I mean, there are just so many possibilities. Both you know positive and potentially negative Right. Imagine a world where you can, you know, access any information, connect with people, even like experience, shared entertainment, and it's all just seamlessly integrated with your surroundings.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But you know, the flip side is that there's also, you know that, potential for distraction, information overload, maybe even like new forms of, you know, social division because of it.
Speaker 1:It's a lot to wrap your head around, but I think that's what we do here on the Deep Dive right we explore those possibilities, but then we also talk about the you know potential downsides and hopefully leave you with some things to think about.
Speaker 2:think about, exactly Because this technology, you know, it's not just something that happens to us, you know, we actually get to kind of shape it with our choices and our expectations and our willingness to kind of engage with these possibilities Right.
Speaker 1:So what do you think? Are you excited about the prospect of AR glasses being a normal thing in our everyday lives? Do you share some of the concerns we've been talking about? Head over to social media and let us know what really stuck out to you from this deep dive on Meta's Orion Project? It's a conversation that's just getting started and we want to hear from you.
