Magic Leap’s Making a New Headset

Just if you thought Magic Leap had disappeared into the graveyard of failed AR headsets, the corporate introduced right now that it had raised one other $500 million at a $2 billion valuation. Oh, and it’s engaged on a second model of its headset for launch subsequent yr.

The information got here straight from Magic Leap CEO Peggy Johnson throughout an interview on CNBC’s Power Lunch. Johnson revealed that the machine could be known as the Magic Leap 2 and that it will be a real “all-day” machine. In renders and video clips of the machine, it does look a superb deal smaller and lighter than the unique headset. The headset will even be able to “segmented dimming” which may dim the “real world background” to make it simpler to see augmented actuality content material. It’ll additionally have double the sight view, higher coloration constancy, picture high quality, and textual content legibility than its predecessor. You can see a render of the machine within the CNBC interview, in addition to two inexplicably zoomed-in photographs from Johnson’s LinkedIn and a Magic Leap press release.

Johnson didn’t reveal value particulars, but it surely was clear from the interview that the brand new headset can be an enterprise-focused machine. Johnson described the goal demographics being surgeons, the protection sector, and manufacturing. That tracks with a blog penned right now by Johnson on her one-year anniversary at Magic Leap, wherein she emphasizes that the corporate will give attention to the enterprise area.

“This investment is an important step in advancing Magic Leap’s mission to transform the way we work,” Johnson mentioned in a statement concerning the firm’s new spherical of funding. “Since joining Magic Leap in 2020, my focus has been on accelerating the company’s shift to the enterprise market, strengthening our technological foundation, and building a robust business across sectors ranging from healthcare and manufacturing to defense and the public sector.”

This is a well-recognized shift. Right now, probably the most profitable augmented actuality headsets are all geared towards enterprise, together with Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 and the aptly named Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2. It’s additionally considerably of a reversal of Magic Leap’s dismal fortunes in the course of the pandemic. Before Johnson got here on final summer season, the struggling firm had been searching for a purchaser to remain afloat. It then laid off 1,000 employees as a part of a serious restructuring earlier than miraculously conjuring yet one more $350 million out of skinny air.

The Magic Leap 2 will reportedly be obtainable someday subsequent yr, although an “early access program is also currently underway.” Only time will inform if it’s successful or a meme-able, overhyped flop like its predecessor.