This week Samsung and Google confirmed that their upcoming “XR platform” will be announced this year, although it’s unclear if it will actually launch before the end of 2024.
It was early 2023 when Samsung, Google and Qualcomm first announced their collaboration on an “XR platform” based on Android. The timing of that announcement made it sound like we’ll probably hear more about that platform and whatever devices it powers in late 2023 or possibly early 2024.
But just a few months later, Apple officially unveiled its long-rumored Vision Pro headset and announced that it would launch in early 2024.
Since then, we’ve heard little about XR efforts from Samsung, Google, and Qualcomm — except for some rumblings that the companies may have taken a step back to reevaluate their plans after seeing what Apple planned to launch with Vision Pro.
However, this week, the companies confirmed that it won’t be revealed until the end of 2024 – and may even launch by then.
During the Samsung Unpacked event this week, Google’s SVP of Platform and Devices Rick Osterloh took the stage and spoke briefly about the future of the company’s collaboration with Samsung:
“Looking forward, we are collaborating to bring next-generation experiences across Galaxy products. From smartphones and wearables, to future technologies like the upcoming XR platform, we’ve been working to develop in close partnership with Samsung and Qualcomm on next-generation devices,” said Osterloh. “You’ll want to stay tuned for this. It’s an exciting new era in mobile computing, and we’re excited to take our partnership with Samsung to the next level.”
Samsung Mobile chief TM Roh took to the stage afterwards to agree, adding that the XR platform in question would arrive by the end of 2024.
“I appreciate [Osterloh] and his team at Google for their continued partnership that drives innovation and sparks new opportunities, like our new XR platform coming this year.”
We still don’t know exactly what form the so-called “XR platform” will take. While it was initially expected that the companies were working on something to compete with Meta’s gaming-focused Quest platform, Vision Pro’s emphasis on more general productivity and spatial computing may have shifted priorities. And yet, Samsung, Google and Qualcomm may not want to challenge on either front. Instead, they may try to stake their claim with mobile-focused transparent AR glasses — perhaps starting with basic smartglass functionality.
For now all we know is that we’ll learn more later this year, but it’s still unclear if we’ll see an announcement or an actual product launch until late 2024.
What do you think will be revealed and what would you ideally like to see? Tell us in the comments below!
#platform #Samsung #Google #announced #launched #year
Image Source : www.roadtovr.com
