Apple’s rumored AR and VR wearables may have some new competition. 9to5Google discovered that the famous leaker shared WalkingCat a few from videos apparently representing Samsung’s conceptual vision for augmented reality glasses. The Glasses Lite glasses would target everyday users and allow them to watch movies, video chat, or get work done without needing a large conventional screen. They even have a “sunglasses mode” for coloring if you are more interested in protecting your eyes than interacting with virtual screens.
A “Next Wearable Computing” video, meanwhile, shows how AR glasses can help with work. Of course, an AR office would help get things done, but you could also have holographic calls with participants present in the room. With AR simulations you can even explore a digital space (for example a room design) as if you were there yourself.
It is not certain how close this is to reality. The Glasses Lite are more realistic than the Next Wearable Computing concept, but even they seem to represent more of what Samsung would like to do than a prototype of a real project. As it stands, some of these mirror the goals for products like Microsoft’s HoloLens. The difference, as you might guess, is that Samsung would drop big headsets instead of tight glasses.
There is an incentive to explore these products, even if they are years away from reaching customers. AR is considered one of the following technological frontiers, and companies like Apple and Microsoft have put enormous resources into making the format viable. If Samsung doesn’t explore the category, it threatens to lag if and when AR takes off.