XREAL sold over 350,000 AR glasses

According to a press release from XREAL, the company has sold 350,000 AR glasses, including its XREAL Air, and XREAL Air Pro sunglasses.

Xreal Annoucment at CES 2020

XREAL has announced today at CES 2020, that according to IDC it has cornered 51% of the nascent augmented-reality market with its stylish, subtle AR lineup.

XREAL’s co-founder, CEO Chi Xu, described the company’s ambitions. “Having secured a major foothold in the global wearable display market, XREAL is now in a stronger position to embrace market momentum and reaffirm its position as the leading, best-selling AR glasses and spatial computing brand in the world today, who’s trajectory is outpacing the rest of the industry combined.”

Better than its predecessor

The micro OLED screens are from Sony and come with smart (and optional prescription inserts) for those with poor eyesight like me. Visit the Xreal Store

These aren’t computers in the traditional sense, like HoloLens or Meta Quest, but they don’t have to be. These seamlessly integrate any device that has a USB-C connector, including our phones. 

Plug them into your smartphone and you’ll be able to watch Netflix, YouTube or even use Samsung DeX. Next time I cover an event, I will not be using my laptop. Instead, I will travel light by taking the XREAL with my phone and a Bluetooth keyboard/trackpad combination.

Microsoft failing to capture the market

The HoloLens Division is on its way out.

Microsoft experimented heavily with augmented reality for consumers much earlier than Xreal. 

The only thing keeping it alive is a contract that the U.S. Military has with HoloLens (which, reports say, was in danger of shutting down for many years). 

Microsoft has also recently killed off its Windows Mixed Reality platform, ceding the future of augmented-reality platforms to Meta and Apple. Maybe another player will be more successful.

Microsoft believed that augmented reality could be used to extend its UWP platform and create new paradigms.