You don’t have to try on the Meta Orion to know they’re better than Apple Vision Pro where it matters the most – the fact that they don’t look like a sci-fi heads-up-display (HUD) from a Hollywood set!
Also read: Meta introduces AR glasses Orion: Everything you need to know about them
For the average consumer, who doesn’t geek out on the most minutest tech specs in the newest ‘AR glasses’ on the market and ultimately look at a pair of spectacles for what they are – a utilitarian fashion statement, it seems the Meta Orion is just what the doctor ordered.
Revealed at Meta Connect 2024, the Meta Orion prototype AR glasses boasts several interesting features that set it apart as a cutting-edge AR device. It features a large holographic display that offers immersive visual experiences in a compact, glasses-like form. With a field of view larger than any other AR glasses, Orion enables seamless multitasking and interactions with life-size holograms, according to Meta.
From all the videos and pictures released by the company, Meta Orion AR smart glasses appear to be lightweight and designed for all-day wear, making them suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. They also integrate Meta AI, which provides contextual assistance, recognising what you’re looking at and offering real-time help, such as making video calls or managing schedules without needing a phone.
According to Tom’s Guide, unlike traditional glass or plastic lenses, the Meta Orion AR glasses employ silicon carbide – a material renowned for its durability, lightness, and refractive properties. The silicon carbide lenses feature tiny projections that interact with on-board projectors, creating a seamless blend of digital and physical worlds. Right now, the Meta Orion smart glasses boast a respectable field of view of 70 degrees through their lenses, which is quite good. While the lenses may appear slightly darker, they still allow users to maintain eye contact and perceive facial expressions, ensuring a natural interaction – which is a huge win compared to something like the Apple Vision Pro.
Also read: Also read: Mark Zuckerberg’s take on Apple Vision Pro VS Meta Quest 3
While the Orion prototypes might have left some wishing for a more slender frame, especially when compared to the sleeker Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, there’s no doubt that Meta will refine the design before the final product hits the market.
From the demo videos coming out of Meta Connect 2024, controlling the Orion AR smart glasses seems to be a breeze and as natural as one can imagine. For starters, the smart glasses support both the convenience of voice commands and the intuitive precision of eye and hand tracking. And just to match some of the gesture-controlled actions of Apple Vision Pro, the Meta Orion also includes an intriguing “neural link” – actually triggered by a wrist-based EMG wearable – that allows for swiping, clicking, and scrolling with a simple flick of your wrist. Can’t think of an easier way to interact with a pair of smart AR glasses, if you ask me.
Orion’s transparent lenses ensure you can still see the eyes and expressions of those around you, making social interactions more natural, unlike typical AR or MR headsets. The glasses pack miniaturised components down to a fraction of a millimetre, making them incredibly sleek without sacrificing functionality.
And the best part? There are no pesky cables to tangle with on the Meta Orion AR smart glasses, something you can’t say about the Apple Vision Pro right now. According to CNET, the Meta Orion smart glasses offload some of its AR processing to a small 100 gm ball that connects wirelessly to the glasses to project apps and 3D graphics to the viewer – which is a far cry from the 350-gm wired brick attached to the Apple Vision Pro.
Now coming back to my opening remark, on why I think the Meta Orion appeals to more consumers than Apple Vision Pro ever would in its current form. And yes, technically this is a comparison between smart glasses and HUD headset like the Apple Vision Pro – ideally a fairer comparison would be between Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro. I don’t think the average mass consumer cares about a fair fight, they simply care about what they’ll choose between the two form factors at the end of the day, which I believe to be the smart glasses. If nothing else, I definitely know which among the two will be my purchase.
With the Orion AR smart glasses prototype, not only has Meta manifested in the present what the Apple Vision Pro might trickle down to ultimately some time in the not-so-distant-future, Meta has said the Orion glasses might be as much as one-third of the price of the Apple Vision Pro. That price point itself, coupled with the fact that its subtle and fashionable aesthetic appeal to a wider audience, will ensure the Meta Orion will sell more than Apple Vision Pro or any other AR/VR headset. It begs the question why didn’t Apple make AR smart glasses to begin with, compatible with its vision of spatial computing?
It’s ironic that Apple, which takes great pride in making fashionable consumer electronic gadgets that end up being style statements for the larger industry, seems to have been one-upped by Meta here with the Orion AR smart glasses prototype. In the latest between Apple CEO Tim Cook and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s very public feud, Zuckerberg sure will be smiling for now.
Also read: Meta AI manifesto: The AI-assisted resurrection of Mark Zuckerberg
