The chip maker Qualcomm is working with Alphabet and Samsung to producemixed-reality glasses. It could be a problem for Meta Platforms, Facebook’s parent company.
Qualcomm, Google and Samsung are aiming for something close to Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, which can connect to smartphones, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon indicated in an interview with CNBC on Thursday. It was among the first comments to reveal details about the project, though a partnership among the three companies was disclosed last year.
Mixed reality, which relies on both artificial intelligence and cameras and sensors, is a combination of virtual reality and augmented reality. Apple also has a mixed-reality device, the Apple Vision Pro, a bulkier headset that looks to be less of a rival to Meta’s and others’ lightweight models.
Qualcomm has made mixed reality a focus as it broadens its business beyond smartphones. It has a chip, Snapdragon AR1 Generation 1, that is specifically designed for smart glasses.
And consumers appear to be interested. Sales of Meta’s latest Ray-Ban smart glasses, called Ray-Ban Meta, exceeded expectations.
The glasses, which allow users to take photos and listen to music with the frames of their glasses, are an important part of Meta’s hardware strategy. A third generation of glasses is expected to be launched by the 2025 holiday-shopping season, The Wall Street Journal reported in July, citing people familiar with the matter.
Qualcomm stock was up about 0.4% in premarket trading Thursday while Meta shares were more or less flat.
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