2021 Kickoff: Lots of New Devices Coming, None Ready for Mass Adoption
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Summary
Today I am kicking off 2021 with another annual monologue. I hope you and your family were able to have a safe and relaxing holiday despite the isolation and other challenges imposed by COVID.
This is the forth such annual kickoff episode, and when looking back at my notes from last year, 2020 played out pretty much as expected, with the glaring exception of the impact of COVID. However one thing COVID did not impact is the pace of progress at the bleeding edge of the technology. The industry continues to make slow progress—sometimes it feels painfully slow—towards addressing the biggest challenges of AR glasses.
In this episode, I restate why I believe AR Glasses aren’t a passing fad like 3D TV. I also share my take on some of the highlights of 2020 and what we might see in 2021 as it relates to augmented reality.
While the road in front of us is still long, I am a firm believer that Augmented Reality in general, and wearable AR glasses in particular, will have a profound impact on our lives.
Links From The Episode
- Articles: Charting a Path to Viable Consumer AR Glasses - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 by Jason McDowall at AR Insider
- Articles: Karl Guttag on disappointing results to the visual quality of MS Hololens 2
- Blog Post: Niantic Collaborating with Qualcomm Technologies to Accelerate AR Software and Hardware
- Press Release: Vuzix Next Gen Smart Glasses
- Press Release: Epson Moverio New Generation of Smart Glass Technology
- Press Release: Varjo Launches XR-3 and VR-3
- Article: Tilt Five on working around the pandemic to deliver tabletop AR by Brendan Sinclair at gamesindustry.biz. Also Kickstarter Update
- Article: Microsoft secures $480 million HoloLens contract from US Army by Makena Kelly at The Verge
- AR Show Podcast Episodes Referenced: Matt Miesnieks (6d.ai), Justin Barad (Osso VR), Angelo Straquatanio (Apprentice.io), Remi Del Mar (Epson), Stefan Alexander (North), Chi Xu (nreal), Jeri Ellsworth (Tilt Five) Erik Murphy-Chutorian (8th Wall)
- Episode Transcript