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Trends and Insight in association withSynapse Virtual Production
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Magic Leap One: The Low Down

05/09/2018
Publication
London, UK
189
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Employees from Rewind, Nexus and Firstborn give LBB’s Addison Capper an initial perspective on the hyped augmented reality product
According to research by global market intelligence firm IDC, augmented reality as a market is expected to be worth $215 billion by 2021. And despite the fact that its first product only launched three weeks ago - Magic Leap One, the Creator Edition - Magic Leap has cemented itself as one of the most important businesses in the AR industry. Launched eight years ago in 2010 by its current CEO Rony Abovitz, it has since raised more than $2 billion in investment from the likes of Google, Alibaba and AT&T. 

Much of what Magic Leap has been up to in those eight years has been shrouded in secrecy.  But that extra layer of mystery, pricked up with just enough excitement-inducing info - somewhat like a page out of a J.J. Abrams book - has been more than enough to generate sufficient hype. Videos of things such as whales leaping from the depths of a school gym had people buzzed about the endless possibilities of Magic Leap in everyday life. It’s not all been a sea of positivity though. Recent leaks of Magic Leap apparently in use led to widespread debate and disappointment

But after eight years, Magic Leap One, the company’s first ever purchasable product, is officially available. Aimed at creators and developers instead of everyday consumers, it costs $2,295 and could take up to 120 days after purchase to arrive on buyers’ doorsteps. Despite that, developers I spoke to for this piece were pumped to get their hands on it and begin experimenting, and can see its opportunities for brands, developers and the general public, albeit with an underlying air of scepticism. 

Its biggest competitor is Microsoft’s HoloLens, a product that’s been on the market since 2016. The most obvious difference between the two seems to be the sectors that each company is aiming their products towards. Much of Microsoft’s marketing for the HoloLens has been focused on how it can aid businesses - think about an architect mapping out a building - whereas Magic Leap has been way more geared towards entertainment, like the whale video mentioned above. 

“HoloLens is solving enterprise needs today, Magic Leap is looking at bringing a world of wonder and delight to our way of living,” says Sol Rogers, founder and CEO at Rewind. Luke Ritchie, head of interactive arts at Nexus, adds: “It does seem that Magic Leap's approach is to build a creative developer community around their product and partnerships appear to be focused more on the entertainment space than, for example, manufacturing, which is an important industry for the HoloLens.”

This focus on playfulness from Magic Leap could make it a more viable option for branded entertainment than HoloLens. “[The opportunities for brands won’t be] too dissimilar to the first round of VR experiences,” says Luke. “I can see this used for experiential and location-based experiences. It will absolutely have some initial impact in the marketing and activation space.” 

Sol adds: “Magic Leap offers brands an opportunity to bring a bit of magic into the world. It’s still early days though - there isn’t a consumer-focused product available yet - so brands looking to work with Magic Leap need to be careful not to jump on the hype bandwagon and use the technology for the right reasons.”

What’s more, Magic Leap’s graphical processing power is far superior to HoloLens - “an almost incomparable jump forward,” according to Sol. Its field of view is 43% larger than HoloLens and its battery will be part of a beltpack, making the Magic Leap headset lighter, allowing for more comfortable and longer usage. The jump in processing power also means developers will be able to create more compelling and believable graphics, ultimately leading to more enjoyment for the user or consumer. 

The headset itself is a particularly important thing for Firstborn’s VP of technology Eric Decker. With HoloLens angling itself largely towards businesses it can afford to look a little ugly, he believes. “If Magic Leap wants to be an everyday consumer product, it has a very steep battle to fight in not making the user look like a dork while using it (e.g. the Google Glass ‘Glasshole’ effect),” he adds. 

Eric’s excited for the opportunities at hand for developers, but, as with any new technology, urges them to put themselves in the shoes of a first-time user. “Think about how (and more importantly why) an everyday person will use what you’re making. As a developer you’ll spend a lot of time with the ins and outs of the system and will understand it better than most - do not assume your users have the same level of understanding.” Luke adds: “I think [developers should be excited] largely because it's another product that represents the future of spatial computing.” 

When I first began research for this article at the backend of July, leaks of Magic Leap’s field of view and graphics issues had just surfaced. The disappointment that surrounded that seems to have subsided since the launch of Magic Leap One and people seem generally excited for the future of mixed reality as a whole, not just Magic Leap. 

Eric admits he’s “sceptical” but doesn’t want to be. “I want it to be the product they’ve been teasing for the last couple of years,” he says. “But more times than not I’ve been let down in these situations, so I don’t want to get my hopes up. Put it this way, nothing would make me happier than to be wrong about the Magic Leap.” 

Luke believes that “we’re all agreed on what the future will probably look like” and this is just another step forward in that exciting direction: “it gives us an opportunity to experiment and design the future of work and entertainment (obviously no small thing).”

Sol from Rewind couldn’t be more certain in his vision for the future. He muses about the possibilities of having ’side-by-side’ meetings with peers in different countries, of not needing to fly everywhere and live in expensive cities. For Sol, the present won’t be around for long.

“The TV, laptop, and mobile phone as we know them are dead. I strongly believe that mixed reality is the future of humanity. The opportunity to decouple ourselves from our physical bounds will change how we exist in the world.” 
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