Tech companies have been trying to create augmented reality (AR) glasses for years, but despite all the time and money invested, they haven’t cracked the code yet. So far, no AR glasses have been suitable for mass adoption.
Snap is hoping to change that and is still hard at work in research and development. According to The Verge, they’re preparing to unveil a new version of their Spectacles next month.
This will be the 5th generation of Spectacles (yes, they’ve already made four versions, which you probably haven’t heard much about). Spectacles 5 will likely build on the AR features introduced in the previous version, Spectacles 4.
Spectacles 4 had some limitations, like a small field of view and a battery that only lasted less than an hour. Because of this, they weren’t released for consumers, but rather given to a select group of developers for testing.
If you’re excited to finally get your hands on a pair of Spectacles with the upcoming 5th generation, you might need to hold off. They’re still not ready for consumers and will continue to be tested by developers and creators.
However, Spectacles 5 will be publicly revealed on September 17th at Snap’s Partner Summit in LA. Whether they’ll ever be available to the general public remains to be seen.
Meta is also working on AR glasses through a partnership with Ray-Ban. This will be their first venture into AR, as Meta has primarily focused on VR and the metaverse in recent years. Like Snap’s Spectacles, Meta’s Orion AR glasses will be showcased but not ready for sale.
There are still plenty of challenges to overcome, from functionality to privacy concerns, before we see AR glasses widely available. For now, it’s a waiting game as various tech companies continue refining their products.
