In a move that’s generating a lot of buzz in the XR community, Snap Inc.’s CEO, known for his leadership at Snapchat and the development of Spectacles AR glasses, is set to take the spotlight at AWE 2025 this June. This is Snap’s moment to showcase their latest AR advancements and solidify their growing influence within the XR industry.
Even though Snap offers one of the few standalone AR glasses on the market today, the company still feels a bit on the fringe when you consider the broader XR landscape. This is largely because Snap is carving out its own path in AR, diverging from how other big names are tackling the technology.
While headsets like the Quest cater mostly to gamers, much like PC VR and PSVR 2, and Apple’s Vision Pro targets entertainment and productivity, Snap’s Spectacles embrace a social-driven AR approach. They’re all about experiences tied to real-world locations and shared environments, encouraging multiple users to interact in the same physical space.
Come June, Evan Spiegel, the CEO and co-founder of Snap, will deliver a keynote at AWE 2025, one of the globe’s longest-running XR conferences, as he eyes bolstering ties with the XR sector. The event takes place in Long Beach, California, from June 10th through the 12th. It’s set to welcome over 6,000 attendees, with 300 exhibitors, 400 speakers, and a sprawling expo floor. If you’re quick, you can still snag early-bird tickets with a nifty 20% off for Road to VR readers.
In an interesting twist, Qualcomm and XREAL will precede and follow Spiegel’s presentation. These companies are already well-seated within the conference, but Snap is pushing boundaries by creating its AR platform from scratch, which may contribute to its perception as an outlier.
Snap isn’t just creating AR glasses; they’re developing Snap OS, a custom operating system for their Spectacles, and Lens Studio, a unique authoring tool. These require developers to adopt new skills rather than relying solely on well-known tools like Unity. This setup makes porting existing XR content a bit of a challenge, yet it underscores Snap’s genuine commitment to the XR field.
Expressing confidence in their vision, Snap’s VP of Hardware, Scott Myers, shared with Road to VR how Spectacles aim to transcend being merely a Snapchat extension. They imagine a future where Spectacles might even replace smartphones, aiming for a standalone experience independent of a phone or a connected compute unit. “We want people to look up, not down,” Myers emphasizes, referring to the habitual smartphone glance.
Beyond social and real-world AR experiences, Myers points out Snap’s dedication to crafting the ultimate platform for developers, constantly refining based on feedback. He personally uses Spectacles daily to explore new developments. “We’re evolving alongside developers to streamline development processes,” he remarks.
The stakes are high for Snap as they navigate a landscape with giants like Meta, Apple, and Google all vie for the crown in the AR glasses race. Nonetheless, Snap’s unique vision positions them as a significant contender in this battle.
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