According to a person familiar with the subject, Meta has opted not to sell the first edition of their full-fledged AR glasses, codenamed Orion, and would instead provide them to developers so they may design software experiences for the device and future iterations. In addition, the business has scrapped plans to produce a smartwatch with a removable display and two cameras in favor of a design better suited to controlling a later version of the glasses.
The first version of the AR glasses, which have been in development for three years, was always intended for developers and early adopters, but management hadn’t decided whether to sell them widely until now, according to the individual. Employees in Meta’s Reality Labs section, which develops VR and AR devices, were notified of the decision this week.
Meta is working on three types of standalone AR glasses that will be released over the next few years. The decision was reached not to sell version one because the device costs thousands of dollars to create and executives believe that some specifications, such as display brightness, are not consumer-ready. Not selling the glasses to consumers is similar to Snap’s policy, which does not sell its AR Spectacles spectacles but instead gives them to software developers.
Version two of the glasses, dubbed Artemis, is still on track for a consumer release with a less bulky design and more improved display technology. Meta also hopes to introduce an entry-level, cheaper version of AR glasses, dubbed Hypernova, as soon as next year, which would pair with a nearby phone to show incoming messages and other notifications through a smaller heads-up display.
In addition to not selling its first pair of standalone AR glasses, Meta decided last week to scrap its planned smartwatch with two cameras, owing to the difficulty of implementing EMG technology for controlling the upcoming AR glasses with brain signals due to its detachable display design. Meta believes that having the first device with EMG technology is important for managing its intended suite of glasses, and it has shifted its efforts entirely to a design that supports EMG on the wrist.
