Until Apple has released an augmented reality product, other companies may just be playing games.

Anchor 丨 Li Ronghui Guests Zhang Yunan

Post-production 丨 DiCapriXin

(The following text is only a small addition to the audio program. “Silicon Valley Knows It” is updated on time every Friday at 12 noon, so stay tuned.)

Since Google announced AR glasses and Google Glass in 2012, AR / VR-based devices have appeared one after another. These two different directions have always been tied together and discussed. Big companies have also entered the track one after another. Technology companies such as Facebook have Oculus, Microsoft has HoloLens, Snapchat has Spectacles, and MagicLeap has One. Veteran Sony has PS4 VR and Nintendo has Switch VR.

Are they VR or AR? After a round of industry reshuffles, Facebook is still insisting on investing in VR, and Microsoft has chosen the VR + AR mixed reality route. Snapchat’s CEO publicly stated at a recent earnings conference that Snapchat will continue to overweight AR in the next decade.

What are the factors that really make the industry qualitatively change? Not long ago, Apple reported that it plans to launch an augmented reality headset in 2022 and an augmented reality glasses in 2023. Apple executives are very optimistic about the prospect of AR devices, and even think that AR glasses are expected to replace iPhone demand in ten years.

Silicon Valley Technology Media The Information released an exclusive report on the leak, which caused concern. In this episode, we invited the reporter Yunan of The Information to talk about AR / VR, the current bottleneck of technological development, and whether this product leaked by Apple will become the next iPhone.

Also, “Sound and lively” is planning a new podcast show-“Anti-Trend Club”. In this program, we will get involved in the fashion and trend circle, and show the interesting and profound side behind it. You can add WeChat to add our little assistant “Voice Xiaosheng” consultation, or click the link below to directly support us and unlock The first demo:

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anchor in this issue

Li Ronghui, former Silicon Valley reporter for “First Financial Weekly”

Guests in this issue

Yunan Zhang , The Information reporter

The takeaway

  • Before Apple has officially released the product, other companies may just be “play around”, and everyone will still benchmark against what Apple is doing.

  • The challenges of AR glasses are mainly three parts: one is the lens. The lens development does not follow Moore’s Law, but follows the laws and principles of physics; the second is the problem of computing power; . How to make VR glasses have enough computing power, good effects, and clear vision, but at the same time, the products will not be very bulky and uncomfortable. In fact, it is quite difficult to find a balance in the middle.

  • Snapchat released their AR products for two purposes: the first is to make their users feel more interesting and engaged in terms of content, thereby increasing the time remaining; and to enable their ads The master makes money, the ads are softer, and it does not hurt the user experience.

  • It is still meaningful for these big companies to join the competition. There are still many unresolved problems in this industry. These companies will not be able to come up with solutions by investing a lot of money and people. Because it is not the kind of industry that can get rapid development only by fighting for efficiency and burning money.

    The main issues discussed in this issue

    • Apple holds AR / VR conference background and product direction

    • Relationship between Apple AR / VR products and iPhone

    • The problems and challenges encountered by AR glasses at this stage

    • AR / VR products from major manufacturers(Google, Microsoft, Snapchat)

    • AR / VR products for startups (Magic Leap)

    • The impact of AR / VR industry on the future industry and consumers

    • Explore the R & D cycle of technology companies

      Nouns mentioned in interviews

      • The Information, a San Francisco-based digital media company with subscribers in 84 countries.

      • Google Glass, Google’s 2012 smart glasses, communicates with Internet services through natural language voice commands. Production ceased in 2015. Google Glass, the second-generation enterprise version, was released in May 2019 for $ 999.

      • Oculus VR, an American company engaged in virtual reality hardware and software products, was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $ 2 billion. Products include: Oculus Rift S, Oculus Go and Oculus Quest.

      • Microsoft Hololens, a mixed reality headset released by Microsoft in 2015. Mainly to provide enterprises with mixed reality solutions for the construction industry and other fields, Hololens 2 Enterprise Edition will be released in 2019 and sell for $ 3,500.

      • Spectacles, augmented reality smart glasses released by Snapchat in 2016. The camera on the glasses can record short videos and upload them to the user platform simultaneously. The third-generation product Spectacles 3 was released in August 2019 for $ 380.

      • Magic Leap was founded in 2010 and launched its first virtual reality headset, the Magic Leap One, in 2017 for $ 2,295.

      • Google Lens, an application released by Google in 2017 designed to retrieve information through visual analysis.

      • Verizon, one of the major telecommunications companies in the United States, specializes in voice calls, fixed broadband and wireless communications.

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