Are AR wearables finally poised to go mainstream in 2024?

Allow me to save you some reading time: probably not. But we are getting close. The next generation of AR glasses, which can provide digital effects overlaid onto a view of the real world, is now in real-world testing at several major developers.

And then the AR shift will activate, and that is going to unlock an entire new realm of digital marketing and promotional possibilities.

As mentioned earlier, there are lots of AR wearable projects in development, but from a social media perspective, the two most prominent ones that we watch closely are those from Meta and Snapchat, although Apple's Vision Pro, once it has entered into take-up, is going to come into play.
While the Vision Pro confirms that going forward, the biggest challenge will be the cost of production since it is too high for it to be adopted at large scales.

The Vision Pro, which could go on sale within weeks is already listed at a retail price of $US3,499. At that price, no one, outside of Apple fanboys and the super rich are going to buy the device, while Meta has noted similar challenges with its coming AR device.

For the last month, the CTO of Meta said in an interview that his company's AR glasses prototype is quite advanced and that he would be able to see some of the developers get their hands on a pair later this year. However, it still costs too much to the pocket of most consumers for now. And that's where the efforts of Meta are going to be concentrated in the coming months if it has its intended plan of launching the consumer product by the end of 2027 in sight.

So functionally, Meta's sure that it has a working version of AR wearable and as it unlocks new efficiencies in production, and new partnerships which may help offset the price that does look very much like to becoming a reality at its originally stated target launch date.

Whether they're 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's far from full AR, but as the newest iteration of the glasses is taking hold, now with the addition of integrated live-streaming, as well as the impending activation of a generative AI chatbot tied to the device, Meta's production for an AR device should also be in very good shape heading into the next round of development, which keeps the company on a good track for its transition into the wider metaverse period.
So, the metaverse doesn't actually contain AR as such. Meta has banded all of these sorts of technologies together in its metaverse brand, to some degree, containing AR, VR, and AI. That being said, the metaverse itself is a long-term bet, and one I do believe will pay off but only start to clarify at the point of relevance into the 2030's as the next wave of digital natives is ready for the workforce, having grown up in metaverse-like spaces.

AR will be the harbinger, and though it's not directly related to the VR-based metaverse per se, there are certain elements-in this case, integrated 3D objects-and immersive digital experiences that will bleed into that next phase.

AR will also bring all new marketing/promotional opportunities, such as when people look at a storefront, ads pop up; or discount offers pushed out to consumers as they walk by.
Here's an early AR promotion patent filed by Snap in 2015. As you can see, in this version, consumers would be able to scan an image in the Snap camera and have relevant promotions pop up before them.
Imagine that integrated into your real-world view, and you can start to envision the possibilities.

The other major player in this race is Snap. The company has already filed several patents related to AR integration and overlaying digital objects on people's view of the real world.
Undoubtedly, much of these projects were created with AR Spectacles in mind. However again, higher production costs may ultimately become Snap's Achilles heel here, with the company already announcing layoffs and scaling back some projects in an effort to reduce their research and development liabilities.

For clarity, Snap has publicly declared that it is not cutting back on its development of AR due to these macro-level cost pressures. However, even at the biggest players' levels, they have already demonstrated, with even the resources of Meta and Apple combined, development costs prove very prohibitive-they might see both them top over Snap as leaders in the AR space.

Well, while Snap is far and away the leader in effective AR development at least from a consumer engagement perspective. And Snap does have working AR glasses that it's been working on with external partners for some time.
As a result, Snap is still well-positioned to have a meaningful impact, though I increasingly suspect that this will be through partnership, likely with Apple or Microsoft, as opposed to Snap going it alone.

After all, AR glasses are here, and they are already powering new experiences. Next step? Lower the cost, package them in a way that's more consumer-friendly, that'll start spurring adoption and usage. And that's on its way, perhaps sooner than you think. So while you are mapping out your ad plan for 2024 and thinking about the next stage, I do believe you should be investing in understanding AR, along with AI, to ensure you're preparing for the next shift.

Snap offers multiple courses you can enroll for, learning about the development of AR, how to produce a digital version of your products and try-on experiences, etc. You could further study Apple's ARKit because Meta itself has various helpful overviews within its own Spark AR platform.

Understanding these elements will put you in a much better place to understand the next stage, and puts you ready for the future of VR, full of similar elements.