Xiaomi joins Microsoft and Google in the prototype AR glasses race
As the Chinese tech giant Xiaomi continues to grow beyond smartphones, it has shown a prototype pair of augmented reality (AR) glasses. Xiaomi has released a new version of its AR glasses called the Adventure Edition. If the global-level technology industry stalwart does officially launch the product, it will compete with the likes of Microsoft’s HoloLens and Google Glass Enterprise.
In an effort to expand its product line beyond smartphones, Xiaomi unveiled a pair of prototype augmented reality glasses towards the end of February, 2023.
The offering is known as the Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Exploration Edition, and operates through the concept of superimposing objects in one’s real environment. Digital material that may be placed over the actual world that a person is looking at is referred to as augmented reality.
According to Xiaomi, the glasses are merely a concept and will not be available for purchase just yet. But, as is clear from the announcement made at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the biggest industry trade show for the mobile sector, the company’s objective is to infiltrate the market.
If Xiaomi goes forward with an official release, the device would join other augmented reality options like Microsoft’s HoloLens and Google Glass Enterprise.
Technological behemoths like Google, Apple, and Microsoft are looking at AR and mixed reality as options to provide customers with novel experiences. Several accounts highlight the significance of this technology to the ultimate form that the concept of a “metaverse” takes.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, stated last year that, according to him, augmented reality is the kind of technology that can have a significant impact on everything.
While several companies have released VR and AR headsets, Apple has yet to do so. According to the Bloomberg publication, Apple’s mixed reality headset will be unveiled in the spring of this year, with customer deliveries commencing in the autumn of 2023.
CCS Insight analyst Leo Gebbie informed CNBC through email that AR smart glasses are thought by many in the technology sector to be the next big thing in mobile computing after cellphones.
Xiaomi’s AR glasses, the company claims, are compact, lightweight, and compatible with wireless transmission from a smartphone. According to Xiaomi, the device’s “retina-level display” makes virtual items seem as crisp and sharp as their actual counterparts.
The Beijing, China-based company also claimed that the headgear supports gesture control. In order to use the glasses’ features, the user will raise his or her hands in front of them and then move the hands and fingers in a predetermined pattern. For instance, according to Xiaomi, users may switch between apps by swiping their thumb over their index finger. The hope is that this will make smartphones superfluous.
Based on the company’s statements, this type of contact exemplifies one of its predictions for the future of human-computer interactions.
The Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro, the company’s flagship smartphones, were released worldwide in February, and the company has confirmed that the headset is compatible with both models.
One of the largest manufacturers of smartphones, Xiaomi, is trying to expand its business into other gadgets. The firm has released a wide variety of products in recent years, across a wide array of electronic sub-segments.
