Amazon Hints at Extended-Reality Device as Apple Readies Mixed-Reality Headset

[MacRumors]

Amazon is seemingly working on an extended-reality (XR) device that could rival similar efforts from Apple, Meta, Google, and Samsung, according to several job listings.

Concept render of Apple's mixed-reality headset by Ian Zelbo, based on purported leaked information​

According to a number of job listings spotted by protocol, Amazon has been looking to fill senior roles for computer vision scientists, designers, program managers, product managers, researchers, and technologists in the augmented-reality (AR) and virtual-reality (VR) space.

A listing for a Senior Technical Program Manager in New Products said that the hire "will develop an advanced XR research concept into a magical and useful new-to-world consumer product," suggesting that the company is looking to establish a new product category. The listing has since been edited to remove references to extended reality.

Another role describes Amazon's initiative related to "XR/AR devices," explaining that hires will be part of "a greenfield development effort" that will include "developing code for early prototypes through mass production." The company is also seeking UX designers to work on "the core system interface along with end-user applications spanning from multi-modal interfaces to 3D AR entertainment experiences," suggesting that applicants should be able to "think spatially, with 3D design experience in motion design, animation [and] AR/VR, games."

In March, the company reportedly launched a new "Futures Design" group headed by Kharis O'Connell, who previously worked for AR headset maker Meta View and Google, helping to design AR operating systems.

Amazon has not been at the forefront of rumors related to new AR and VR hardware, with companies such as Meta and Apple possessing much larger teams working on competitive future AR and VR products. Meta is heavily investing in AR and VR, to the extent that it is said to be causing workplace disruption, and Google is believed to have around 300 employees working on an AR headset that is rumored to use an array of sensors and cameras to project computer-generated content onto the real world.

After reports of Samsung significantly falling behind in the rush to bring AR and VR devices to market, partially due to its "obsession" with foldable smartphones, it is now said to be co-developing an AR device with Microsoft and DigiLens, with the product rumored to feature "hologram" technology and an Exynos chip.

While Apple's mixed-reality headset was widely believed to be scheduled to launch this year, a recent report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman cast doubt on the chances of the device emerging in 2022 due to development problems, with 2023 now looking more likely. Nevertheless, Apple's headset project is said to be "approaching liftoff," with the device mirroring the development timeline of the Apple Watch in the period before its launch. Apple's work on the headset's operating system, realityOS, has been rumored since 2017, but the existence of the operating system was recently confirmed when references to it were found in App Store upload logs and Apple open-source code.

The headset is rumored to feature a lightweight design, two 4K micro-OLED displays, 15 optical modules, two main processors, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, eye tracking, a see-through AR mode, object tracking, hand gesture controls, and more. The device's exact price point is as yet unclear, but some reports indicate that it could cost customers around $3,000.

Like Apple, Amazon has a history of filing for patents related to smart glasses, and the company has already launched Echo Frames, which offers an audio-only experience with the Alexa voice assistant.

Article Link: Amazon Hints at Extended-Reality Device as Apple Readies Mixed-Reality Headset

 

[Macative]

News on this really cooled off. A few months ago there was a new report about this thing every single day. Lately it has been crickets. We know something like this would be a big WWDC topic so, if we're not hearing about it now, we probably won't for another year.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

News on this really cooled off. A few months ago there was a new report about this thing every single day. Lately it has been crickets. We know something like this would be a big WWDC topic so, if we're not hearing about it now, we probably won't for another year.

I have a feeling it's delayed till next year, now.

There is no way I'm paying $3000 for AR/VR. It is such a niche market.

 

[alpi123]

News on this really cooled off. A few months ago there was a new report about this thing every single day. Lately it has been crickets. We know something like this would be a big WWDC topic so, if we're not hearing about it now, we probably won't for another year.

It won't be announced at this year's WWDC. There's a small chance it will be unveiled at the October event (for Macs and iPads), if not - next year.

 

[ratspg]

I really don’t see the appeal of these devices. It’s like the goal is to remove people from physical interaction with one another and ditch all social cues. Just to say, oh look how convenient you can be with ALL of your friends and family while sitting at your own home! Wow so fun! So healthy for a society! …. Not. 😂

 

[everlast3434]

All these VR things is just big tech forcing us into thinking we need it. I prefer the physical world, thanks!

 

[clevins]

I really don’t see the appeal of these devices. It’s like the goal is to remove people from physical interaction with one another and ditch all social cues. Just to say, oh look how convenient you can be with ALL of your friends and family while sitting at your own home! Wow so fun! So healthy for a society! …. Not. 😂

IN general, I agree. However, consider the pandemic... and climate change. If (and I hope this doesn't happen), we saw more pandemics, a sophisticated version of these would be a way to simulate being in the same place with people (parties, spoorting events, etc). And we all talk about climate change but I keep seeing people hop on planes to fly to distant places for meetings.

I'm not thinking of the initial versions of these, but some future version that could do something like this:

 

[DocMultimedia]

All these VR things is just big tech forcing us into thinking we need it. I prefer the physical world, thanks!

I also just don't understand this. Feels like tech telling us we need 3d TV all over again.

When they can make lightweight glasses that deal with my prescription eyeballs, the battery lasts two days or more, and the glasses actually show something useful..maybe then I'll consider paying 3k.

 

[ratspg]

IN general, I agree. However, consider the pandemic... and climate change. If (and I hope this doesn't happen), we saw more pandemics, a sophisticated version of these would be a way to simulate being in the same place with people (parties, spoorting events, etc). And we all talk about climate change but I keep seeing people hop on planes to fly to distant places for meetings.

I'm not thinking of the initial versions of these, but some future version that could do something like this:

I definitely think the tech is “cool” and that movie is a great example, Meta with workspaces too. But is that the kind of life people want to live? It sounds mundane, lonely, boring, unfulfilled.

 

[topmounter]

I really don’t see the appeal of these devices. It’s like the goal is to remove people from physical interaction with one another and ditch all social cues. Just to say, oh look how convenient you can be with ALL of your friends and family while sitting at your own home! Wow so fun! So healthy for a society! …. Not. 😂

As much as anything I expect this is necessary from an IP / Defensive Patent perspective. Aside from that, I agree, I have zErO interest in head-gear, helmets, goggles, more screens, more bleeps, more bloops or whatever.

 

[clevins]

I definitely think the tech is “cool” and that movie is a great example, Meta with workspaces too. But is that the kind of life people want to live? It sounds mundane, lonely, boring, unfulfilled.

Exclusively? No, not me at least. But in the event of another pandemic and being locked down... it would be better than Zoom.

But more likely is being able to congregate virutally with family when we can't all be in the same place... or imagine buying a ticket to the Super Bowl (or NBA finals or World Cup) where you can attend virutally. Look around, feel much like you're there, but do so without the full expense of flying to another continent.

Do I want to live this way most of the time? Nope... I still want to go to local sporting events, movies, restaurants etc. But as an alternate way to 'be' at places and events? Sure.

I can also see them being useful for manipulating things in a shared space for some professions - engineering, even sports analytics.

It's one of those things that have few uses until you can do it, then uses emerge. Not all of those uses will be of general interest.

 

[oldoneeye]

Happens every 10 years - but unless they look a lot better than those ski goggles - who's going to wear them ?

 

[cvs1726]

I really don’t see the appeal of these devices. It’s like the goal is to remove people from physical interaction with one another and ditch all social cues. Just to say, oh look how convenient you can be with ALL of your friends and family while sitting at your own home! Wow so fun! So healthy for a society! …. Not. ?

One movie will explain everything… Demolition Man

 

[jz0309]

I really don’t see the appeal of these devices. It’s like the goal is to remove people from physical interaction with one another and ditch all social cues. Just to say, oh look how convenient you can be with ALL of your friends and family while sitting at your own home! Wow so fun! So healthy for a society! …. Not. ?

I agree, while I see use cases I am sincerely hoping that this whole metaverse thing will be techs biggest flop ever…

 

[Unity451]

I'm hopeful that eventually (the wise) people will wake up and just say "enough with this nonsense."

 

[kingtj1971]

I really don’t see the appeal of these devices. It’s like the goal is to remove people from physical interaction with one another and ditch all social cues. Just to say, oh look how convenient you can be with ALL of your friends and family while sitting at your own home! Wow so fun! So healthy for a society! …. Not. ?

Exactly my thought too. If you really want a VR technology that would be hugely popular and used everywhere, you need to work on 3D holographic projection. The idea you're going to wear this headset instead of physically going anyplace to experience it in person is kind of ridiculous. It has its niche uses (like video games), but even there, people are still fighting problems with it giving them headaches or motion sickness. And pretty sure almost everyone using one would prefer if they didn't have to wear it to experience the 3D VR.

The focus for these, currently, seems to be about the worst use-case too; 3D virtual reality "worlds" served up by social media giants. Ick... We had people trying to pull these off for years, and they've always become pointless, boring, and a big waste of system resources. (Look at things like Playstation's VR world they had on the PS3, for example. Just a bunch of avatars running around where you could type messages to each other, like any IM client would do -- and buildings full of junk like marketing videos, and a "virtual home" where you could set up multiplayer games against visitors who joined you on their virtual couch. Think about it a minute. ALL of that was always possible in more efficient ways without all the VR 3D stuff bolted onto it!)

 

[8CoreWhore]

I don't need to extend my reality so I can order some more socks.

 

[citysnaps]

It appears many here do not understand what augmented reality (AR) is about and how it can play a role assisting in many common everyday tasks.

Apple collaborating with Stanford University's VR/AR research lab since 2016 tells me when Apple's AR product (I'm betting on glasses, not goggles) is released there will be an outstanding suite of Apple AR applications. Hopefully, then people will get it.

 

[kingtj1971]

It appears many here do not understand what augmented reality (AR) is about and how it can play a role assisting in many common everyday tasks.

Apple collaborating with Stanford University's VR/AR research lab since 2016 tells me when Apple's AR product (I'm betting on glasses, not goggles) is released there will be an outstanding suite of Apple AR applications. Hopefully, then people will get it.

No, I understand the difference. AR has always been more promising, overall, than VR. With AR, you're talking about people going out and about in the physical world like usual, except with a (hopefully unobtrusive) device like glasses on, which give you some additional information about your surroundings.

Goggles or helmets have always been for VR immersion, and that's what I take issue with as a niche thing that's getting too much attention lately.

But again, I'd also suspect that any AR tech Apple comes out with will be tied to your iPhone as the "brain" of it? It'll be another accessory to an iPhone like a non-cellular version of the Apple watch is. At some point, I'm starting to dislike all of these "phone-centric" accessories. (I'm reminded of this every time I have to plug my iPhone into a lightning cable to make "Apple CarPlay" work in my Ford Bronco Sport, just to get on-screen navigation in it. I feel like I made a mistake not paying the extra money to get navigation built into the vehicle, since that's something I very well might need to use even if my phone wasn't with me.)

 

[ratspg]

No, I understand the difference. AR has always been more promising, overall, than VR. With AR, you're talking about people going out and about in the physical world like usual, except with a (hopefully unobtrusive) device like glasses on, which give you some additional information about your surroundings.

Goggles or helmets have always been for VR immersion, and that's what I take issue with as a niche thing that's getting too much attention lately.

But again, I'd also suspect that any AR tech Apple comes out with will be tied to your iPhone as the "brain" of it? It'll be another accessory to an iPhone like a non-cellular version of the Apple watch is. At some point, I'm starting to dislike all of these "phone-centric" accessories. (I'm reminded of this every time I have to plug my iPhone into a lightning cable to make "Apple CarPlay" work in my Ford Bronco Sport, just to get on-screen navigation in it. I feel like I made a mistake not paying the extra money to get navigation built into the vehicle, since that's something I very well might need to use even if my phone wasn't with me.)

All these technologies are literally built on us depending on Apple, Meta, Google, Amazon, etc. for all future use of them. Sure AR has advantages if you're on an assembly line, building, or for training before on the real job. But to imagine and desire a world where thats where people are MOST of their time, instead of their phones... no thank you. The tech companies will do anything to make these products sticky so the majority of people will spend their time using it.

 

[citysnaps]

But again, I'd also suspect that any AR tech Apple comes out with will be tied to your iPhone as the "brain" of it?

Absolutely! An iPhone already has the A-series cpu for AR processing, and communications to online services where information (documents, videos, reference manuals, etc.) relating to the AR tasks at hand could come from. Also, the iPhone already has a decent capacity battery to power the computing required. Putting a large batter and CPU in a set of glasses would be a deal-killer.

Pure speculation on my part: I think glasses would have a small battery with just enough capacity to power the display, camera(s), and video streams (to and from the phone). Communications would be through UWB (which already exists in recent iPhones) using a proprietary communications protocol.

I'm looking forward to the day when I can use Apple's AR glasses to help take out my own appendix.

There are enormous markets that could be tapped with Apple AR glasses and AR apps.

 

[ComRadMac]

wow, magical AND new-to-world? That's a pretty fancy way to say crappy hardware designed to sell you stuff.

 

[turbineseaplane]

AR will be of interest to me only when/if it's practical to put it in my normal everyday glasses

VR, for gaming mainly, will finally be of interest to me when FOVs get wider and resolution gets bumped a bit higher still -- and when eye tracking is implemented in the options.

 

[_Spinn_]

I see AR/VR taking off about as well as 3D TVs. I think there are good applications in certain business settings and gaming - but not for the general public.

 

[chaospet]

AR will be of interest to me only when/if it's practical to put it in my normal everyday glasses

VR, for gaming mainly, will finally be of interest to me when FOVs get wider and resolution gets bumped a bit higher still -- and when eye tracking is implemented in the options.

FOV could certainly be improved a bit. Eye tracking and higher resolutions are coming to multiple devices in the near future. VR gaming is already pretty awesome IMHO, even if the quality could be improved, but pretty incredible quality improvements seem to be coming very soon.