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Magic Leap’s CEO said more money pouring into the augmented reality space from competitors is “good.”
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Under CEO Peggy Johnson, the company has focused on developing enterprise-grade AR headsets.
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Apple is rumored to be preparing its own headset to compete against Magic Leap and Microsoft.
DAVOS, Switzerland — That more competitors, including one day Apple, are entering the augmented reality space is “a good thing,” Magic Leap CEO Peggy Johnson told Insider.
Apple is reportedly preparing to launch its own headset this year that would compete with other offerings from Magic Leap and Microsoft.
“I think it’s always good when there’s more money coming into space,” the AR tech company’s CEO said during an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “The company is over 12 years old, so we have been transporting all the water for a long time, for years, so it is good to have others in this field that are even more competitive in nature. This is positive for the whole area. “
Johnson said more companies entering the AR space bring “more” momentum, energy and developers, and that Magic Leap is focused on developing the 3D imagery ecosystem.
Under Johnson, Magic Leap has focused on developing its Magic Leap 2 AR headset for enterprise use rather than marketing it to consumers. In its Early Access program, Magic Leap worked with the likes of Cisco, NeuroSync, and Brainlab to “refine and improve” its headset, which is used for training, communication, and remote support in settings such as clinical, industrial, retail, and more can even defense.
But AR technology is cutting edge, and that means it doesn’t come cheap. The Magic Leap 2 went on sale last September in the US, Canada, UK, EU and Saudi Arabia and has three releases ranging from $3,299 to $4,999. Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 costs between $3,500 and $5,200.
Apple is currently planning to announce its long-rumored AR and VR headset this year, which is expected to sell to consumers for between $2,000 and $3,000, Bloomberg reported. The headset is reported to look somewhat like ski goggles, and will include auto-adjustable lenses and a physical dial for switching between virtual reality and the real world.
When Apple’s AR/VR headset comes out this year, it will be the company’s newest lineup since the Apple Watch in 2015.
Johnson pointed out that Apple is more consumer-centric while Magic Leap is enterprise-centric, but at one point said, “We’re going to go back to the consumer.” to become more acceptable to consumers, as mobile phones have evolved.
Read the original article on Business Insider
