Facebook Parent In Talks With Magic Leap Over Augmented Reality Deal (ft.com) 13
Facebook's parent company Meta is reportedly in discussions with augmented reality start-up Magic Leap to establish a multiyear agreement for intellectual property licensing and contract manufacturing in North America. While the partnership is not expected to result in a joint headset, Magic Leap's technology could play a crucial role in Meta's ambitious metaverse project as it seeks to compete with Apple's upcoming mixed reality device. The Financial Times reports: Magic Leap produces custom components, including high-tech lenses and associated software, which are key technologies that may be required to build a metaverse. Two former employees said Magic Leap's "biggest asset" is the sophistication of its "waveguides" -- technology that allows thin glass in front of the user's eyes to conjure up realistic images at different depths.
Meta sells nearly 80 per cent of all VR/AR headsets, thanks to its VR Quest models. But the market itself is small -- fewer than 9mn units sold last year, according to IDC -- a tenuous lead given Apple's expected entry into the market during its developer conference next month. The company told the Financial Times: "Given the complexities of developing true augmented reality technologies and the intricacies involved with manufacturing these optics, as well as the issues many companies experience with overseas supply chain dependencies, we have entered into several non-exclusive IP licensing and manufacturing partnerships with companies looking to enter the AR market or expand their current position."
Meta sells nearly 80 per cent of all VR/AR headsets, thanks to its VR Quest models. But the market itself is small -- fewer than 9mn units sold last year, according to IDC -- a tenuous lead given Apple's expected entry into the market during its developer conference next month. The company told the Financial Times: "Given the complexities of developing true augmented reality technologies and the intricacies involved with manufacturing these optics, as well as the issues many companies experience with overseas supply chain dependencies, we have entered into several non-exclusive IP licensing and manufacturing partnerships with companies looking to enter the AR market or expand their current position."
Meh (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
But seriously, Meta jumped the shark with this one. You need a product or service people actually want on the market before you can monetize it to death. Meta forgot that and just made a worse SecondLife but with more ads. Thinking that it would allow them to open a virtual US mint. Despite the original SecondLife not being the massive commercial success that Meta would need to push it's ads the way they want to with their Metaverse. Now Meta gets their just rewards and is still
Re: (Score:2)
Seems to me, Second Life/Linden Lab still being around after 20 years is pretty commercially successful.
They've kept it open mainly in maintenance torpor for the last 10 years or so, but the players are still there,
around 40,000 every day. No other effort has come close.
Surprises me and I think that they must make a ton of money.
It's probably the world's largest usable collection of 3D somethings in one place.
Meta should try to understand why it is that people have stuck with SL for almost 20 years.
Those ar
Re: (Score:2)
It's not even SecondLife. It's more like it's some sort of VRChat with features nobody wants and features people want missing.
Take a look around YouTube, search for "VRChat" and you'll immediately understand why the Metaverse is doomed to fail. It starts with the target audience for that kind of technology. Let's say it that way, the cat-ear density in the average VRChat video you'll find is close to "one pair a person". In other words, to force a Blues Brothers reference: We have both kinds of people, cosp
Facebook's Parent Company Meta (Score:2)
I would encourage Facebook's Parent Company Meta to keep pouring money into the metaverse. Even if it doesn't seem to be paying off... be patient, keep pouring billions upon billions into it. If you have to wind down Facebook in order to get more cash, do it. Just don't stop pouring all of your money into this - preferably all of Mark and Priscilla's personal wealth as well.
You gotta ride this out.
Re: (Score:2)
In fact in the 13 years Magic Leap has existed, they've never lied about the capabilities of their products, or burned more than $2 billion in VC money.
Re: (Score:2)
I get what you're trying to say, but in terms of investment as a function of net profit Meta's expenses here are not out of the ordinary in the tech world and not even remotely the highest in the tech industry.
For reference Meta's blowing $10-12bn in the Metaverse (2022 numbers)
Meta is none the less making a $25bn net profit.
Meta's revenue last year was $116bn meaning that they invested about 10% of revenue, less than the 20% a lot of other companies spend.
So yeah I get what you're saying, but for your drea
Re: (Score:2)
So yeah I get what you're saying, but for your dream to become a reality Meta will really REALLY need to up their spending game, or you're going to be hearing about the Metaverse forever.
Ah, but a man can dream...
Magic Jack? (Score:2)
I bought one of those at Wal-Mart in 2001 and plugged it in to the USB port of my iMac to get free long distance calls. #nostalgia
They're still around?
Re: (Score:2)
Didn't they produce some video with fake AR glasses or whatever a few years ago?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Well, they sell them the hope that their dead in the water Metastasis could still somehow work out. Of course Facebook wants that.
Facebook Parent? (Score:2)
I read this as "a parent on Facebook", not "Facebook's parent company". Can we just start calling it Meta?