In Augmented Reality News
May 31, 2024 – Enterprise spatial computing company Magic Leap has this week announced a strategic technology partnership with Google. According to the companies, the collaboration will combine Magic Leap’s augmented reality (AR) expertise and optics capabilities with Google’s technology platforms to develop AR solutions and experiences.
Which of Google’s technology platforms would feature in the partnership was not clear however, with only vague details being provided in the announcement.
Commenting on the partnership, Shahram Izadi, Vice President and General Manager of AR/XR at Google, said: “We look forward to bringing together Magic Leap’s leadership in optics and manufacturing with our technologies to bring a wider range of immersive experiences to market. By combining efforts, we can foster the future of the XR ecosystem with unique and innovative product offerings.”
Julie Larson-Green, Chief Technology Officer at Magic Leap, added: “This partnership accelerates the transformative power of AR by combining our extensive optics capabilities with Google’s technologies to continue to advance immersive experiences to the developer ecosystem and for customers. We are looking forward to expanding the potential of XR – blending the physical world with valuable, contextually relevant solutions.”
Magic Leap noted that the partnership marks an important step in expanding the long-standing relationship between the two companies.
Rather than developing standalone AR hardware. Google has been focusing its efforts less on augmented reality as of late, with AI seemingly taking a priority at the company. Recent announcements at Google I/O regarding ‘Project Astra’ for example, while featuring a heads up display, were mainly centered around the AI capabilities of the glasses. Other AR-related announcements from Google I/O involved bringing new geospatial AR features to Maps.
However, there has been nothing substantial from the company with regards to the Android XR partnership with Qualcomm and Samsung that was announced back in February 2023. According to Reuters, that collaboration with Samsung would not be affected by this new partnership with Magic Leap. The two companies also apparently declined to comment whether this latest partnership was expected to yield a consumer AR device.
To learn more about Magic Leap and its spatial computing offerings, including its Magic Leap 2 device, please visit the company’s website.
Image credit: Magic Leap / Google
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.