Although no launch has yet taken place, we know that Apple is preparing a headset that, like Facebook’s latest product, will mix virtual reality and augmented reality. At the moment, it is not known when this product will be made official. But when it does arrive, it won’t just have to face competition from Facebook’s headsets. Apple will also have to face its great rival on smartphones: Samsung.
As you probably already know, Samsung has just introduced its latest high-end smartphones, the Galaxy S23 series. But in addition to these mobiles, the Korean giant has also lifted the veil on a whole new series of PCs. And at the end of its conference, in the presence of Google and Qualcomm, Samsung announced its new ambitions in the field of virtual reality and augmented reality.
Samsung’s surprise
TM Roh, the head of Samsung’s mobile division, invited Cristiano Amon, CEO of Qualcomm, and Hiroshi Lockheimer, senior vice president responsible for ecosystems at Google, to take the stage. Indeed, to develop its future AR/VR products, Samsung will rely on these partners. As a reminder, Qualcomm, in addition to developing chips for smartphones, also offers components for AR/VR products.
As for Google, it also has great expertise in the field, since it is one of the pioneers of augmented reality, with its Google Glass. In terms of software, the Mountain View company has already deployed ARCore on 1 billion Android smartphones, which allows for an augmented reality experience on mobile. And it also offers some augmented reality apps, including Google Lens. Otherwise, rumors also suggest that Google is working on an augmented reality OS.
Samsung is no stranger to AR/VR. Samsung has already marketed virtual reality headsets for its Galaxy smartphones, in partnership with Facebook. But the product ended up being discontinued. Unfortunately, Samsung only announced that it is working on mixed reality (augmented reality and virtual reality), and presented its partners, without giving details. And for the moment, it is not known when the first product will be unveiled.
A natural alliance
We can already imagine how Samsung could use Qualcomm’s chips and Google’s software to offer an augmented reality platform capable of rivaling those of Facebook and Apple. Note that for a smartphone manufacturer, being present in this area is of paramount importance.
Indeed, according to some predictions, in a few years, augmented reality glasses could replace smartphones. It is for this reason, for example, that the company of Mark Zuckerberg spends lavishly in the development of its technologies for augmented reality, and for the famous “metaverse”.
“While I expect phones to remain our primary devices for most of this decade, at some point in the 2020s we will have game-changing augmented reality glasses that will redefine our relationship with technology”predicted Zuckerberg in early 2020.
