Is it possible that Amazon will also join the augmented reality bandwagon?
Several fresh job advertisements indicate that Amazon may be developing consumer-facing augmented reality smart home gadgets.
XR or ‘extended reality’ is the next big thing in technology, with Facebook/Meta and Apple heavily rumoured to be building their own Apple mixed reality headsets. Now Amazon looks to be in the running to join the bandwagon.
Jobs for a software engineer and a “Sr. Technical Program Manager, New Products—XR” were discovered by Protocol, which has since withdrawn them. According to Protocol, the initial description said that the Program Manager would “transform an advanced XR research idea into a magical and helpful new-to-world consumer product.”
“Experience building deeply technical products, e.g., AI/ML, robotics, games” is also requested in the job description for Sr. Product Manager. It was a “new cross-functional team” that detailed the role of the software engineer, who would be “conceptualising and implementing critical software and architecture for a new-to-the-world smart home solution.”
A “reality” product may be virtual, augmented, mixed, or anything else under the umbrella of XR. AR was particularly highlighted in the listing material, which indicates that this new item will be primarily used for that purpose.
This does not rule out the idea that Amazon is developing a mixed reality headset. See-through AR is expected to be included in Apple’s speculated VR headset, so other firms may follow suit.
Since launching the Alexa-powered Echo Frames in 2013, Amazon has experimented with glasses. It’s not out of the question that Amazon plans to add AR to these devices in the near future, given they already feature built-in speakers, touch controllers, and support for digital assistants.
Even if you don’t plan on using Amazon’s Echo system, it’s worth noting that the company has a huge smart home presence. The doorbell rang, and I looked out to see who was there. If you don’t have an Echo Show or the Ring app, you can get a live broadcast through AR. Similarly, you might view information on the audio emanating from your Echo speaker or any other things occuring in your house.
To put AR glasses in perspective, Amazon has come up with some really bizarre goods in the last few years, such the Alexa-powered Smart Oven and the Astro house robot.
There’s no denying it: the AR market is quite crowded right now. As Apple Glasses have long been predicted, rival AR aspirants will have a tough time competing against the company’s market dominance. Additionally, Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook/Meta are apparently making significant investments in augmented reality in an effort to break the firm free of its dependency on the Google and Apple ecosystems.
Google is also re-entering the AR fray following a lacklustre response to Google Glass, while Snapchat and Magic Leap are also releasing augmented reality spectacles. We’ll keep an eye on Amazon’s new product to see whether it makes it into production and if it succeeds like the Echo or fails like the Fire Phone.