It has been two weeks since the Magic Leap One was released (August 8th). I have been following its release on any available media possible, just to be sure I am up-to-date with all the important information. I’ve seen the articles and those flash reviews on the popular technology websites. Although it was nice, it is what it is, just a quick review with not too much in-depth information. In the next day, those large tech portals will move on talking about something new.
The information I wanted to know I’ve got from developers and the many users who had their first experience with the Magic Leap One. Developers gave us so good insight of the technology and were able to make a good comparison to how the ML1 is different than the HoloLens and mobile AR and talks about its pros and cons.
Later I moved on to read the official documentation, including the API and turned to research articles related to the technology used in the Magic Leap One. get a more in-depth understanding of the technology and how it works. Furthermore, I want to have a better understanding of where the technology is heading and what to expect from it.
In the first days, we’ve seen lots of happy faces (we still do) of people enjoying their new Magic Leap One glasses, a handful of videos of people sharing their experience. However, two weeks after the headset is released, there are very little videos posted, those from early adopters and many of those are things that we’ve already seen before.
This is a point where the only way that we are going to see something new is if developers are going to make new content for the Magic Leap One. I personally think that it was a mistake releasing the product with such a limited amount of apps. Honestly, this doesn’t do the Magic Leap One justice. The potential of the technology is way beyond those limited functionalities that those apps reveal. Tehre is always one chance for making good first impressions, however, developers will feel up that gap pretty quickly.
I also feel disappointed that the device isn’t widely tested and designed for outdoor use. This put a huge limit not just on what developers can do with the technology but also impairing its attractiveness and put strict creative boundaries. Those boundaries reduce the motivation of putting effort to reimagine ideas that they envisioned for a wearable device that could be used in an outdoor environment.
The only thing I can assume is that the technology is not there yet, or if it’s there, maybe it’s just too expensive to make at the moment. by this, I mean having a headset with longer depth sensing capabilities or maybe weather sealing, more durable or economic design to match the need of outdoor use. I know that I will feel awkward walking outside with the Magic Leap One and that large external computing accessory stuck in my pocket.
Having said all that, we need to work with what we have and not with what we don’t have. I have no doubt in my mind that the vision of Magic Leap is making a wearable device that will eventually be used by many people both indoors and outdoors. A device that will become your primary device, one that can provide you with many benefits that can make your life easier, help manage your day better, help you learn more about your environment with overlayed personalized contextual information, help you socialize better, etc
This all will happen, but not as fast as we wanted it to be. Seeing all those amazing promotional videos gave many people the feeling that what they see is what they are going to get, and soon (the Hype). The fact is that we are quite far from that place where all those beautiful marketed realities will become something that is part of our (mixed) reality.
So we need to take it to step by step. Maybe it’s easier for developers in some way, because the can now focus on apps for indoor use only, and try to make the best of it. Let’s not forget that there are many other technologies, especially ones related to AR Cloud, Hand Recognition, Machine Learning and Computer Vision that will eventually become an integral part of that mixed reality spatial platform in one way or another. As those technologies continue to be developed, we are probably going to see many more acquisitions and see those embedded into future versions of the Magic Leap headset.
Technology innovation in those technology categories that I’ve mentioned is moving really fast and sometimes it’s better to test the ground, watch the competition and carefully asses your options and make smart strategic moves based all that information, so your next device can be one that can compete against other products that will definitely come at some point in the not far future.
You don’t actually need to wait to see where this market is going. You can already see many companies already being highly invested in it and new great products emerging every few months.
I try to understand the market with the information I have and try to feel up the gaps where needed. Not all the information is available to us. Many companies are holding their cards close to their chests and you don’t always get answers to key questions for obvious reasons.
I will continue to follow news related to Magic Leap One. I am in love with this technology. I remind me the first day I tried AR, and it feels like falling in love all over again. Don’t laugh, this how it feels. The reason I started this blog is due to how excited I was with the technology when I first tried it. I felt the urge to continue using it and explore its possibilities. I love technology, and I see myself as a creative person. I am also a web developer, so I like the creative development side of these type of technologies. The Magic Leap One is an amazing tool and I want to be part of its community, educate myself as much as possible and try to inspire developers to make great things for it, as much as I possibly can.
I think we are going to see the same thing we saw when ARKit first emerged. Some small apps and games that developer release as they get familiar with the system.If you are already building something, why not share it with others, right? A bit later, we are going to see more complete apps that showcase what the platform can really do.
If you are a developer and creating something new for the Magic Leap One, please drop me a line on tweeter, I would be glad to see what you are developing and share it with others. Have a great day dear Leapers and good luck!