Google AR & VR

Compared to Galaxy Unpacked in January, there were only a handful of Google announcements today with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 unveil, while the “upcoming XR platform” got another mention.

In the 2010s, Magic Leap was one of the most hyped augmented reality companies, with massive amounts of funding, including from Google. When the Magic Leap One headset launched in 2018, it was not the technological breakthrough in display technology that was once teased. Magic Leap has persisted since then, and has now signed a “multi-faceted, strategic technology partnership” with Google.

Last week, Apple named some of the third-party apps that will be available for its spatial computing platform. No Google productivity or entertainment services were explicitly mentioned for Vision Pro. For the latter, we got “Disney+, Max, and other services,” while Microsoft 365 and Slack were the big work names. 

Qualcomm today announced the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 with a focus on providing “more realistic, detailed experiences.” 

Google not being at the forefront of augmented reality is a real shame. With Glass, Cardboard, and Daydream in the mid-2010s, Google seemed well on its way to owning the next form factor. All those efforts are dead.

We reported earlier this week on signs in the Google app that “Iris” glass development is proceeding after reportedly being canceled earlier this year. I’m of the opinion that Google, since 2015, should have continued consumer development of Glass as a pre-AR wearable given that the display technology is far from ready.

It emerged in June that Google had killed its Iris smart glasses and was going all-in on the Android OEM model for XR. A new report today sheds light on the current state of projects, including how Google is looking to partner on smart glasses.

In late 2021, Google hired Meta’s AR operating system head to lead a similar effort for an “innovative AR device.” Mark Lucovsky has now stepped away from that with a rather scathing indictment of Google’s commitment to and vision for AR.

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In 2022, it emerged that Google was working on an AR headset called “Project Iris.” A new report now says Iris was actually a plan to build smart glasses that has since been canceled.

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On the eve of WWDC 2023 and Apple’s new headset, let’s take a look back at that time Google tried to jump on the VR bandwagon with Daydream, which is now just a distant memory.

With longtime virtual and augmented reality boss Clay Bavor leaving next month, Google’s work on AR will now be overseen by Hiroshi Lockheimer and Rick Osterloh. 

For the past few years, Google’s AR and VR efforts have been led by Clay Bavor. The longtime executive is now set to leave the company next month.

Google is expanding the availability of AR features in Maps, as well as adding glanceable directions to the Android and iOS lockscreens.

Android SVP Hiroshi Lockheimer made an appearance at the end of the Galaxy S23 event today to talk about Google’s partnership with Samsung and Qualcomm on extended reality (XR).

Besides the S23 and Galaxy Book 3 series, Samsung today announced that it’s working on “extended reality” (XR) products alongside Google and Qualcomm.

Later this week, Gorillaz will be performing a new song off their upcoming album in New York and London. This AR performance will be available through the “Gorillaz Presents” companion app and is powered by Google’s ARCore Geospatial API.

Back in May, Google closed I/O 2022 with a sneak peek at its work on augmented reality hardware. AR glasses that look like normal frames are still a long ways away, but Google is already exploring using ring and bracelet form factors to control them.