Everyone Is Making Smart Glasses Now

Smart glasses development has expanded beyond Meta, Google and Apple to include dozens of manufacturers across three distinct categories, UploadVR reports. HTC launched its Vive Eagle glasses in Taiwan this month at $550, while Solos' AirGo V2 arrives in Q4 2025 for $300.

The market segments into displayless models featuring cameras and AI assistants, heads-up display glasses providing contextual information overlays and true AR glasses capable of spatial object positioning. Chinese manufacturers dominate the sub-$100 segment. Snap plans consumer AR glasses for 2026. Amazon is reportedly developing two HUD models targeting delivery drivers and consumers for mid-2026 release.

Well, let's bring it back

[CEC-P]

"Glassholes"

Am I late to the party?

[gurps_npc]

Nobody told me I was supposed to make smart glasses.

I guess I'll go buy a micro camera and tape it to my reading glasses.

If everyone is making smart glasses...

[ffkom]

... then everyone already has one, and will not need to buy one from somebody else. So the market volume remains near zero, like in the last decade ;-)

Serious question

[buchner.johannes]

What's the killer app?

I think one that was floated is seeing in an easily comparable way the health information while browsing a supermarket isle? I'd be cool to give live context for from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] and the Wikipedia "Criticism" sections. Not sure I'd pay for it though.

Re:

[tolydude]

Killer app is identifying every person in your field of view. Something like name, age, short bio blurb.

Re:

[engun]

I think the killer app is having an enormous, portable, handsfree display wherever you go:

1. Replace your phone
2. Replace your monitor
3. Replace your home theatre

Re: Serious question

[zmollusc]

Correct! And it is too difficult to build such a thing, so manufacturers churn out crap and wonder why it does not catch on.

Re:

[gweihir]

Only problem: These are a hallucination at this time. The tech is not there and will not be there anytime soon.

Re:

[gweihir]

Nothing. Well, maybe for the makers it is collecting training data that they hope can then be used to make actually useful industrial and surveillance equipment.

Let me guess

[rsilvergun]

There's a Chinese factory that can crank them out right now just like every other piece of commodity electronics...

Re: Let me guess

[SuperDre]

Fun fact, Chinese companies already have actual decent AR glasses on the market, where US companies are still catching up, like so many things these days...

Is everyone buying them?

[Anonymous Coward]

No? Then who cares.

Offline?

[antdude]

Do any of the current smart glasses have offline recordings? No Internet requirements.

Re:

[gweihir]

That would defeat the purpose. The business model of all of these is obviously to collect training data and any benefits claimed for the users are merely pretexts.