Could it be that the smartphones era is coming to its end? Only five years have passed since Google's failed attempt with their Google Glass, and smart-glasses are already back as the greatest promising gadget of the next decade, that threaten to eliminate the smartphones from our lives.
Apple, Samsung, Intel and many other leading technology companies are participating these days in a race to be the first one to take over what will be next step of the mobile devices evolution: smart-glasses with augmented reality, or simply "AR glasses". This will probably be the last devices human will use before we will start implant components in our brain.
The short history of mobile devices
The world's first mobile phone was introduced in 1973 by John F. Mitchell and Martin Cooper of Motorola. It weighed 2 kilos! In 1992 IMB presented "Angler" (later called "Simon") - the very first smartphone. In addition to the option of making phone calls, this device allowed the user to send and receive faxes and emails, get news updates, view maps and more.
But the greatest mobile revolution (so far) took place in 2007, when Steve Jobs presented to the world the iPhone. Since that moment, the multi-touch devices have become the undisputed rulers of the mobile market.
The Google Glass faux pass
In 2013 Google introduced to the world "Google Glass" - an optical head-mounted display, designed in the shape of a pair of eyeglasses, which purpose was to display information in a smartphone-like, hands-free format.
The main idea of Google Glass was to combine the actual tangible reality with virtual reality - what is known as "augmented reality". It had a unique field-sequential color system for display with a small touch-pad for user interface.
While Google Glass may not have been the first "smart-glasses" it was definitely the first time that a serious company like Google had released such a device. There was a huge hype around this product and the expectations went sky high.
Google Glass eventually failed to keep up with these high expectations. Many people reported suffering from headaches after using it even for a short period of time, and the general feeling was that while this device was pretty "cool", it failed to provide any real value. Time magazine declared Google Glass as one of "the 20 most successful technology failures of all time". Today it seems that this device may simply have been ahead of its time.
The new generation of smart-glasses In 2016 Microsoft launched their own version of smart-glasses called HoloLens. Unlike Google Glass, which had a small screen that displayed the information, HoloLens had a full screen that presented much more complex and realistic graphics layers.
The result was much more impressive than with Google Glass, and in accordance the reviews the HoloLens received were far more positive. The Only problem was that the HoloLens cost $3,000 (compared to Google Glass which cost about $1,500).
Several weeks ago, Intel revealed their own version of AR glasses called Vaunt. Unlike other smart-glasses, Vaunt look like normal glasses. They use a unique, even revolutionary technology that projects a very low-powered laser (VCSEL) and reflect images directly into the retina.
Vaunt will launch an “early access program” for developers later this year. Intel is not supplying any information regarding how much they will cost.
Magic Leap is another interesting player in this market as it is about to launch its own version of smart-glasses. What makes this start-up particularly intriguing is the fact that more than 2 billion dollars (!) were invested in it from a series of strategic investors, including Google and Alibaba.
If that's not enough, Apple, Samsung, Facebook and many other leading companies have reported working on similar products. Why are all of these tech giants suddenly so interested in smart glasses? Well, as usual - the reason is money.
The AR market In a world where all major companies are constantly looking for new growth engines, the AR market could be the perfect answer. Reports show that smart-glasses revenues reached 138.6 million U.S. dollars in 2016, and are forecast to amount to around 19.7 billion dollars by 2022.
But there might be more to it than simply direct sales revenue: the common assumption at the high-tech community these days is that AR is going to enter and influence many aspects in our lives - from gaming, art and design, to education and of course - advertising.
Whoever is the first to take over the AR market could control its future app-store. If you take Apple s for example, its current app store generated over $11 billion in revenue for the company in 2017. The potential of the AR app store is even greater.
The glasses of the future New technology has always replaced an old one. The smart-glasses will replace today's smartphones the same way the CD replaced the audio cassette and the MP3 player replaced the CD. There simply won't be any need to have a smartphone when all of its functions will be readily present in the smart-glasses.
As the glasses will already sit over the ears of the user, there won't be any problem hearing audio with them. Controlling the glasses will be done primarily via voice or hand gestures, and later on via mind reading.
Style and design While style and design are already a key element when it comes to smartphones and wearable technology like smart-watches, they will probably play a much more important role when it comes to the smart-glasses. These glasses will not only be wearable, but users will wear them on their faces, moreover - over their eyes. You simply won't be able to avoid seeing them.
This is one of the main reasons that Apple's smart-glasses are causing the most interests. Apple is well known for its clean and and stylish designs, and it is still considered to be one of the powerful brands in the world.
Another interesting aspect when it comes to the AR glasses is that many people (like me) simply don't like wearing glasses. Some part of the aversion of wearing glasses might be sourced in the stereotype that people who wear glasses are less attractive. As in many other fashion cases, this stereotype might be completely change in the future.
Endless possibilities for cool new apps
When it comes to the possibilities for the future smart-glasses apps, there is a good chance that things we have seen in science fiction movies will become reality. Take for example the function of face recognition: we could use the glasses in a party or a business convention to identify whomever is standing in front of us and get information about them from social networks.
Smart-glasses could also provide us with immediate translation: they would catch the audio that we are hearing, identify the language and provide us with translation subtitles in a language of our choice. This could be a great tool for the hearing impaired.
Another interesting app that could be developed for these smart-glasses is a lie detector. By analyzing the voice of the person we are talking to, the glasses could identify certain cases of lies. This technology already exists - all it needs is to be implemented into the right platforms, and the AR glasses could be perfect for that.
A lonelier world
The world of the AR age is going to be very different than our world. In it, People will be much more self-centered and the holistic experience in life is going to be lonelier, as the very reality that each person will experience will be completely different.
There is no doubt that some people will decide not to be a part of the herd and will refrain from using the smart-glasses - the same way there are people who still refuse to use a smart-phone or sign up to social networks. Nevertheless, most of us will probably give in and join the AR revolution with all of its consequences.
In conclusion The AR smart-glasses is the exact growth engine that big technology companies are looking for. Therefore, over the next decade we can expect them to invest such great efforts in developing it and promoting it so vigorously, that ten years from now we won't be able to understand how we lived our lives without it.
Nevertheless, if we look at the big picture, the AR glasses will only be used for a transitional period. At some point in the foreseeable future, technology will allow people to implant digital components directly into their brains. As funny as it might sound to us now, at that futuristic point wearing the AR smart-gasses may be considered a cool retro thing to do.