This month the Economist ran an interesting article called “So long iPhone. Generative AI needs a new device,” wondering “Is this the twilight of the screen age?” Their argument is that screens are fine for accessing the internet, yet a different form factor will be required for interacting with AIs we can hold conversations with, which looks to be in our near future.
In the meantime, the tech world still appears to be moving towards wearable displays, i.e. AR and VR glasses. AR eyeglass manufacturer Xreal is now taking pre-orders for their Air 2 model; the preceding generation, simply called Air, are the “world’s first and best-selling consumer AR glasses,” according to the company.
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The Air 2s are prescription-lens frames that contain tiny Sony Micro-OLED panels behind each lens, providing the impression of a 1080p screen floating in front of your face that you can scale up to 330″. They weigh 72 g (2.54 oz) and cost $399.
You can choose to have the screen remain stationary when you turn your head, or to have the screen move with your head.
The company is also offering an Air 2 Pro version, which add grams and dollars at 75 g (2.65 oz) and a $449 price; the increase gets you electrochromic dimmability, meaning you can toggle between completely transparent, 35% opacity or 100% opacity for full immersion.
The downside of the current state of the technology: Both models must be physically plugged into a source, either USB-C or HDMI. I’m guessing we won’t really see mass adoption until someone develops wireless capability.
The company says they’ll begin shipping units next month.
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Source: core77