Forget the glasses

Hustled off to visit a friend this morning before I got done reading my alerts.

This one showed up when I resumed reading this afternoon.

A decent summary of what is going on in augmented reality -- and a nice mention of Microvision.



Spectrum.ieee

Also in the AR-heavy category, and already shipping to developers and some business customers, is Microsoft’s $3,000 HoloLens, an AR headset with all its necessary computing performed on board. The trade-off Microsoft made to make this technology portable is in its field of view: At less than 45 degrees, it’s like looking through a small window. One of Microsoft’s competitors, Meta, is taking preorders from developers for a $950 headset with a 90-degree field of view—but the Meta headset requires tethering to an external computer to operate. Both project images outward, not directly on your retina, as Magic Leap is expected to do. But Magic Leap may not end up being the only AR retina display out there. Kartik Hosanagar, professor of technology and digital business at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, says he believes that MicroVision, a pioneer in retina displays, may move into commercial augmented reality.

Magic Leap -- Dots connecting well

Thanks Mike for your correction to my mix up.

We've been suspicious that Magic Leap was using a fiber scanning display, instead of Microvision's LBS. 

Magic leap is apparently abandoning the Fiber scanning display -- and their other option is -- 

Magic leap has been (apparently) overhyping their progress.

So, looks like we have what could be a very nice new customer. And given that we apparently have a ridiculously tiny new display engine.

Magic Leap is currently valued at about $4.5 Billion dollars. 

The biggest advantage of Microvision's 0.65 cubic centimeter projector is that it requires no lenses, but is in focus and appears normal on any surface, even those that are rough or radically curved.  EE-Times linked from this blog 


The Verge

The crux of the problem appears to be Magic Leap’s gamble on a so-called fiber scanning display, which shines a laser through a fiber optic cable that moves rapidly back and forth to draw images out of light. The company thought the fiber scanning display could be Magic Leap’s breakthrough tech, allowing it to shrink down the extremely expensive hardware used on a previous prototype — a refrigerator-sized device known internally as the “Beast.” 

According to The Information, Magic Leap still has not been able to get the fiber scanning display to work. It has since demoted it to a long-term research project. “You ultimately in engineering have to make tradeoffs,” Abovitz said in the interview. Still, the company’s latest prototype appears to be the size of a standard pair of glasses. It’s known internally as the PEQ, for product equivalent, and yet Magic Leap declined to demonstrate it for The Information. Abovitz claims it is only slightly less capable than the earlier, tethered prototypes, but denied that it now uses technology similar to the HoloLens.

The Hololens units that are out, were using the Himax display, but is changing.

"In the near-term, estimates lower component orders from a major buyer (Microsoft HoloLens). Analyst Tom Sepenzis: "AR – We believe that the primary customer is rapidly reducing orders for LCOS and WLO components. This could result in approximately $60 million in LCOS/WLO revenue in CY16, down from an expected $90+ million, and have a significant impact in CY17. Originally pegged at $270 million in potential revenue in CY17, we now expect this customer to drop off almost completely in the first half of CY17 as it looks to refine its AR products." -- Seeking Alpha HIMAX - Source (multiple sources for this.)

IB Times -- Magic Leap Videos Faked?

Global VRD Market.

Thanks for the heads up Dave S

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The global virtual retinal display (VRD) market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.51% during the forecast period, according to Technavio’s latest report.

Global virtual retinal display (VRD) market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.51% during the period 2016-2020.

Tweet this

In this report, Technavio covers the market outlook and growth prospects of the global VRD market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers revenue generated from shipment of VRD devices for VR and augmented reality (AR) applications.

Technavio’s research study segments the global VRD market into the following regions:

Global VRD market: segmentation by geography 2016

Geography				Market share (%)
Americas				91.7%
EMEA				5.2%
APAC				3.1%
				Source: Technavio

Americas: largest VRD market

The Americas accounted for almost 92% of the global VRD market in 2016, followed by EMEA. The US is the leading country in the region, followed by Canada. The US is expected to continue to be a leading technology provider due to the presence of companies such as Avegant, Magic Leap, and MicroVision. As the technology is new, these companies will try to capture the American market first, then later try to penetrate the other regions. So, for the next five years, the Americas will be the dominant region for VRD devices. There are several projects related to smart glasses and HMDs lined up, and there is a huge demand for AR technology in the US.

Sunil Kumar Singh, a lead analyst at Technavio for displays research asserts, “The Americas is also one of the earliest adopters of AR, and there are a number of apps being developed for iOS and Android. This gives good potential for VRD technology providers such as MicroVision to penetrate the Americas.”

Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=54537

Technavio’s sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Global VRD market in EMEA

MEA is not expected to have much of an impact for VRD devices and technology, as many big players in the market such as Blippar, Metaio, and Wikitude are located in Europe. The UK is one of the key leading countries in the region and globally. In addition, there are several companies in Israel involved in the defense, military, and aerospace sectors where VRD can be effectively used. Also, several government-funded projects in these sectors are encouraging new vendors in Israel to enter the market. “Some of the other leading countries in Europe include Germany, France, Switzerland, and Austria. BMW, Volkswagen, and many publishing companies have employed AR technology and created huge interest among consumers. This might also help in the adoption of VRD technology,” adds Sunil.

Global VRD market in APAC

APAC accounted for only 3% of the global VRD market in 2015. This is because, there are only a few companies involved in AR technology in this region, with the highest number being located in Japan. The revenue contribution from APAC is not expected to show any major changes during the forecast period, except for the outsourcing of software development to India. The final products are sold in EMEA or the Americas. However, APAC is expected to lead the market in terms of mass production of AR devices like mobile devices, HMDs, or smart glasses during the forecast period.

Competitive market scenario

The global VRD market is at a nascent stage. There are not many vendors involved in the market but so far MicroVision and Avegant are the only vendors that have gained recognition in the market. Magic Leap is yet to release its product, and the product is likely to adopt MicroVision's VRD technology. MicroVision also provides VRD technology to other vendors. Avegant provides VRD-based devices. As VRD has a large number of advantages such as high clarity and low power consumption over LCD and other display technologies, VR and AR vendors might consider VRD instead of LCD or LED for manufacturing VR and AR devices.

Browse Related Reports:

• Global AMOLED Display Market 2016-2020
• Global 3D Display Market 2016-2020
• Global Classroom Displays Market 2016-2020

Do you need a report on a market in a specific geographical cluster or country but can’t find what you’re looking for? Don’t worry, Technavio also takes client requests. Please contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and our analysts will be happy to create a customized report just for you.

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.