Is 2024 finally going to be the year AR wearables get seriously accepted mainstream?

Save yourself the time if you really can't be bothered reading this: Probably not. But we are close, with the next generation of AR glasses, which can overlay digital effects onto your real-world view, now in real-world testing at several major developers.

And when the AR shift comes that opens up a whole new world of digital marketing and promotional opportunities.

We mentioned there are several projects for AR wearables, but from a social media point of view, there are two we most follow. Meta and Snapchat, with Apple's soon-to-be-released Vision Pro likely to be a factor depending on take-up.
While the Vision Pro also emphasizes what, basically speaking, the point of contention for the next round, being its high production cost makes its mass adoption nearly impossible.

The Vision Pro, which could begin selling in weeks, is priced at US$3,499 at retail. At that price, no one, except the Apple fanboys and the super rich, will buy the thing, while Meta has cited similar issues with its AR device.

Meta's CTO, Andrew Bosworth, said in an interview last month that their AR glasses prototype is a much more advanced prototype, and he anticipates some developers getting their hands on a pair later in the year. But it's still too expensive for most consumers, and that is where the company is going to be concentrating its efforts in the coming months to lower the cost ahead of a planned consumer launch in 2027.

So, from a functional standpoint, Meta is confident it has a working version of the AR wearable and with every new production efficiency uncovered, and every new partnership that could offset the price, that all looks very much like becoming a reality at its originally stated target launch date.

Whether they are a whole new thing, or an advanced version of Meta's Ray Ban Stories remains to be seen, though Bosworth did also note that Meta's also building a new version of Ray Ban Stories that will incorporate a small heads-up display.
That is not going to be all-out AR, but with the latest version of the glasses gaining traction, due in part to the addition of integrated live-streaming as well as the coming implementation of a generative AI chatbot linked to the device, Meta's production process for an AR device should also be well advanced ahead of the next stage, which bodes well for its shift into the broader metaverse era.
The metaverse doesn't technically include AR, as such, although Meta has bunched all of the different technological developments under its metaverse banner, to some degree, including AR, VR, and AI. The metaverse itself is still a longer-term bet, and one which I do think will pay off, but it'll be in the 2030's before it clarifies to the point of relevance, when the next stage of digital natives, who've grown up in metaverse-like spaces, are ready for the workforce.

AR will be the precursor and, while not necessarily directly akin to the VR-based metaverse as such, there are elements of that next phase, like integrated 3D objects, and immersive digital experiences, that will bleed into that next phase.

AR will also open doors to all new kinds of marketing and promotional activities, like ads from the storefront as someone is looking at it or discount offers shared with a consumer as they walk by.
Imagine that into your actual world view, and you can start getting a sense of the possibilities.

Snap, the other player to be seen in this race is the company that has filed several patents related to AR integration and overlaying digital objects on the real-world view.
Clearly, many of these developments were conceived with AR Spectacles in mind. However, yet again, costlier production may be Snap's Achilles heel in this regard as the company has already announced layoffs and retrenchments of some projects to cut their research and development liabilities.

In short, Snap has said it is not cutting back on its development of AR because of broader cost pressures. But what the big players have already demonstrated - even with resources at Meta and Apple - the cost of development puts them at a prohibitive cost, which could see them both become kings of the castle in the AR space.

Despite Snap's leadership in meaningful AR, especially from an engagement standpoint. And Snap does have functional AR glasses which it has been working for some time now with external partners.
And so snap is still in a strong position to make a lot of impact, though I suspect increasingly this will be through partnership, likely Apple or Microsoft as opposed to Snap on its own.

Basically, AR glasses are already here and are already powering new experiences. Cost reductions will follow, and a more consumer-friendly packaging bundle that can then spark even more adoption and usage. But that's coming, and it may come sooner than you think. So, while you plan your ad campaigns for 2024, and do speculate about the future chapter, I definitely think you must invest in the understanding of AR along with AI so that you are prepared for the next change.

Snap has various courses that you can take to learn about developing AR, and then how you might make digital versions of your products, try-on experiences, etc. The technology can be learned about within Apple's ARKit, while Meta also has a number of useful development overviews within their Spark AR platform.

Take time to study these factors, which would help you better understand the stage that's coming next but will also prepare you for that Future of VR, full of many elements, as was described above.