We’re at the onset of a new age in mobile devices called the “AI Device Era.” Now that we know the utility of AI models, companies are looking for ways to access them quicker and easier. The thing is that there haven’t been any devices to crack the code to a successful AI device. We’ve seen pendants, bracelets, and little boxes you fit in your pocket. However, we just need to admit that we don’t need AI devices if we have AR glasses.
We’re at the onset of another phase in mobile technology. Companies are working on bringing more AR (Augmented Reality) devices into the mainstream like VR headsets and AR glasses. These will most likely pick up when the Samsung XR headset hits the market. Among the companies making XR devices today, it appears that most of them are focusing on glasses. This makes sense, as they’re less expensive to make. They require fewer materials to build.
Along with that, they’re relatively accessible, as cheaper pairs can be had for as little as $300. However, we’re not quite at the stage where smart glasses could be considered affordable. Many pairs cost more than $500, and if you want to get a cheaper pair, you’d have to either settle for older (and thus less refined) pairs or invest in a pair of Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses. But, don’t worry, the mean price for smart glasses will slowly go down as time goes on.
Anyway, so many companies are looking to make the AI device a thing. That’s all fine and dandy, but (and pardon the pun) the solution to that has been right in front of our faces the whole time.
Why do we need AI devices when we have AR glasses?
For a time there, we thought that AI devices were a dying breed. The first company to bring the concept of a standalone AI device to the forefront was Humane with its AI Pin. It brought a unique form factor that has you pressing a pendant on your chest like you’re in a sci-fi film. Nowadays, we don’t mention this device’s name without spitting afterward, but it was an innovative and forward-thinking device. There were just some pain points like its price, subscription service, and performance. Not a bad try for a first-generation product, though.
We can talk about the Rabbit R1, but that device shared some of the AI Pin’s pitfalls. One of the fundamental pain points dragging both devices down was the lack of intuitiveness. You’re not going to leave your phone at home for an AI Pin or Rabbit R1; you’re taking it with you wherever you go. This makes sense, as the smartphone has developed to the point where it’s become an essential tool that people use every day.
So, if you’re using one of the abovementioned AI devices, you will need to bring it along with your phone, and that’s just another device to carry. It’s another thing in your pocket to take out or a thing on your chest. Humane and Rabbit advertised these as devices that eliminate your reliance on your phone. However, they can’t do everything your phone can, so you’ll wind up taking your phone out of your pocket at some point.
At that point, the AI device you’re using is just dead weight; just another thing you have to carry around that doesn’t serve any use. If it doesn’t seamlessly integrate into your daily routine, then why should you buy it?
However, we could be at the start of an AI device renaissance
Something is happening under our noses, and it involves devices that sit on top of our noses. The AR glasses form factor seems to have as much futuristic and gimmicky appeal as many of the AI devices that companies are trying to attach to our bodies. Technological glasses that put a whole new reality in front of our eyes seem like something that we’d see in an 80s sci-fi flick, but some brands like Viture, Meta, Even Realities, TCL, XREAL, Amazon, and Halliday are dragging this future into the present. Some of these companies’ products are meant for different markets, but they all answer one question, “How much tech can neatly sit on your face?”
Here’s the thing, AR glasses solve the issue plaguing many of the AI devices on the market. Again, many of the AI devices out there now are just an extra bit of tech you have to carry around. Whether it be an extra thing in your pocket, something new on your wrist, or something on your chest that wasn’t there before, it’s a clunky addition to your daily life.
Seamless and intuitive
What about a pair of glasses, however? Obviously, not all of the AR glasses on the market are meant to be worn in daily life. Some of them, like the RayNeo Glasses, are meant more to be like a portable display rather than a pair of glasses. We’re mostly talking about glasses like the XREAL line, the upcoming Halliday glasses, the Evan Realities Even G1, the Brilliant Labs Frame, and other glasses that occupy that market. The Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses can also be put on the list, but they lack one feature the other glasses just mentioned have, and it’s a pretty big part of the experience. However, they still deserve a mention because of their usability.
A pair of glasses is so much more seamless than a pendant or a bracelet. They don’t take up pocket space either. They sit on your face without getting in the way of anything. While it’s true that non-glasses users will need to get used to it, it’s a small learning curve.
Depending on the glasses you wear, accessing the smart features is much easier than with other smart devices. For example, if you want to see the projector on the Halliday glasses, all you have to do is look up. Other glasses require you to just press a button on the frame/temple. It’s more seamless than taking a device out of your pocket or holding your fingers on your chest.
How do AR glasses solve the AI device problem?
Again, the lack of intuitiveness is what marked the first wave of AI devices for death. The thing is that they’re built around AI. Thus, their core experience revolves around getting that feedback from the AI model. The Friend Pendant requires you to take out your phone to see the feedback and the Rabbit R1 is not much different. This negates the argument for AI devices reducing your dependency on your phone.
As for the AI Pin, it’s a bit of a mess. You’ll need to be able to hear the vocal feedback from the device. Sure, if you’re in your home in a quiet room, it’s no issue. However, this device was advertised as a take-it-outside-with-you device. It’s less likely that you’ll be able to hear it if you’re out in the world, so you’ll need to pair some Bluetooth headphones to it. That’s another device you’ll need to bring with you just to use the AI Pin.
XR and AR glasses are designed with speakers right in the temples. These will be able to shoot the audio right into your ears. If ChatGPT tells you what kind of flower you’re looking at, you won’t need headphones and you won’t need to take a device out of your pocket. You’ll just need to listen.
Let’s talk about screens
What also made the AI devices a hard sell are the visual interfaces (or sometimes, the lack thereof). Again, the Rabbit R1 and Friend Pendant required you to take a device out of your pocket to fully use it. You may as well use the Gemini app on your phone at that point. Also, the AI Pin’s projector screen isn’t the best for all scenarios.
XR and AR glasses provide the best way to view the interface. They put it right in front of your face. Different brands of glasses show you the screen in different ways, however. Some of them have a little screen between your eyes and the lenses, some of them project a little screen that reflects off of the interior of the lenses, and some project the image directly into your eyeballs. However, the fact remains that you’ll be able to see an interface without any effort. You won’t need to take out a device or raise your hand. You’ll just see it.
If you need to see notifications or relevant information, then it will be displayed right before your eyes. Again, the experience will be different depending on the device you’re using. There’s no unified smart glasses UI out there like Android, so you’ll be able to access different types of information.
The fact of the matter is that the information you need to see is right in front of your face. Several AR glasses are used to display content like movies and act as a portable computer monitor like the XREAL glasses. Others are more minimalist and don’t show much more than essential text. Regardless, both types of glasses satisfy the need to see information at the drop of a pin. While the former aren’t designed for AI, the companies making them could more than likely add access to an AI API to let you use a chatbot on the go.
The complete package
It’d be wrong to say that the companies making these AI devices have done something wrong. How many times have creative ideas failed to guide the industry in a new direction? Too many to count. It doesn’t mean that they’re poorly-made devices or anything like that. Much of the time, ill-fated devices like the AI Pin act as a stepping stone to greater things. Humane tried something, but it just didn’t pan out.
However, the solution was there this whole time. Separate from the whole AI craze, companies working to bring the Metaverse into our universe were paving the way to the future. Unbeknownst to them, they were developing the perfect device to take AI to the next stage. AR glasses offer the perfect form factor for typical AI usage. “Typical” is a crucial word here, as not everyone can wear AR glasses. There are people who need special prescriptions and there are people who are blind among other folks. So, it’s important to acknowledge that there are different factors to consider.
AR glasses provide all of the right tools for a great AI device experience. Interacting with them is more intuitive. You can either press a button on the frame/temple, use a simple hand gesture, or just look up in the case of the Halliday Glasses. They put the display right in front of your face, so you don’t have to be without a user interface. The speakers are right next to your ears, so you don’t need external headphones. AR glasses present the full package.
It seems that AR glasses have a bright future, as there are more companies making these devices as time goes on. The rate will only increase as more companies realize the utility of AR glasses, the technology becomes more inconspicuous, and more companies come up with different ways of projecting a screen for your eyes. The average price for a pair will come down, and we may start seeing more people in public sporting smart glasses. Who knew that the perfect AI device sprang from the ill-fated Google Glass over a decade ago?
