from what was learned with Google Glass to compete against Apple Vision Pro

When Apple presented the Vision Pro it was understood that it was a starting signal for the industry to bet on a technology which, without being new, had not yet managed to be massive, at least not to the level of other products such as smart watches or tablets. Of course, they are not expected to be a replacement for smartphones in the short or medium term, although Mark Zuckerberg intends so.

We had been hearing rumors for many months that Google was working on a new version of Android, specifically designed for this type of device that we literally wear on our faces. That It changed not only the way of seeing the interface, but also of interacting with it.since we would not have a touch screen to touch.

The announcement of Android The Korean company has made it clear that it is a prototype, but The business model is expected to be released by the middle of this year.surely in Unpacked where we will also see the company’s new folding ones. For now there are no rumors about prices or technical characteristics.

Android Vision Pro or Google Glass?

The curious thing is that although the device was a kind of vessel to demonstrate the qualities of Android XR, it seems clear that The approach in terms of hardware is very similar to what Apple didwith a device more similar to a helmet than glasses. Thus, Google knows that this will be one of the approaches that we will end up seeing in the industry.

But that doesn’t mean he’s the only one. In other videos published by Google itself, in which the capabilities of Gemini and Project Astra were demonstrated, it was seen how Google’s approach, without already going hand in hand with Samsung, is that of bet on hardware that was more reminiscent of Ray-Ban glasses and Goal that to Apple’s proposal.

In more normal sized glasses, with more limited hardware, the artificial intelligence assistant becomes more importantdue to the idiosyncrasy of the device, and that seems to be what Google wants to promote, which Gemini becomes something we interact with daily. Exactly what you did not achieve, or at least not as much as you would like, with Google Assistant.

However, we have not seen any even minimally commercial product from Google in this regard, we do not know if because they are not developing it and want to continue relying on partners like Samsung or because at the moment it is not technologically viable. This is precisely what has happened to Meta, who with Orion have shown what they are capable of, but have recognized that it is not feasible to scale the production of this type of device enough to make a commercial launch.

It is possible that As the technology is not yet ready, Google wants to wait and continue collaborating with other brandsas it does with Samsung, to create a whole new industry that makes everything change. At least that’s what it seems like they have been made to understand to the few people who have been able to test the new operating system.

Android XR as a bet

Regardless of whether the market ends up betting on one type of glasses or another, What Google wants is to control the platform on which your applications are developed. The success of Android on mobile phones and its subsequent growth in cars, for example, make it clear that Google knows how important it is to maintain dominance of the operating system. It cannot afford a failure like the one Microsoft had when we saw the shift from desktop computers to smartphones. And Meta has already made it clear that he wants to have the “Android of virtual reality glasses.”

To avoid this they are already relying on collaborations with large software developerslike Adobe, to make their apps available on Android XR. Other companies with which they are known to collaborate are Calm, MLB, Concepts, AmazeVR Concerts, Mirrorscape, Naver, Resolution Games, 30 Ninjas, Spline, Tripp, Owlchemy Labs and Virtual Desktop, among others. But the best thing is that Android applications will work directly on this new systemthrough floating windows.

Besides, Android XR is the first system created from the basis of AIwith Gemini integrated to a level that has not been seen in any other version of Android. This would allow Google not only to control the ecosystem, but also to fight much better against rivals such as OpenAI, which with ChatGPT has managed for the first time to create a direct competitor to Google in many fields. The potential of AI is something we have seen in current versions of Gemini, but it will be much more advanced when version 2.0 arrives.

Gemini integration may be the turning point for this type of devices to succeed. Its multimodal capabilities mean that we can ask it about things we are seeing, and even about things we saw a few minutes ago and don’t remember. He’s the closest thing to an assistant like Jarvis we’ve seen so far.