Magic Leap layoffs are a setback for mass-market AR ambitions
The company says it will be shifting away from consumer AR
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
The Magic Leap Two is now further away than ever, unfortunately. Today in ablog postthe augmented reality pioneer announced major layoffs and has decided to cut up to half of its workforce, according to some reports.
The original Magic Leap One was supposed to be one of the first mainstream augmented reality headsets when it launched in 2018, but a high price point and lack of interest from developers left the headset high and dry after launch.
According to the blog post, Magic Leap says it will be focusing its efforts on enterprise solutions (a statement HTC has made recently as well) and shift its focus away from consumer technology… at least for the time being.
The company has been open about creating a second headset that would offer improved specs for some time, but how that work will now have to go forwardwithout half of the team, according to some estimates, remains to be seen.
Is the window closing on augmented reality?
Although it’s just one company, Magic Leap felt like our best bet of bringing augmented reality to the masses: its infamous teaser trailer of a whale bursting out of a school gymnasium captured imaginations – and billions of investment dollars – and remains the end-goal for what consumer AR could look like in five to 10 years.
“Adapting our company to these new market realities and our increased focus on enterprise means we must align our efforts to focus on the areas of our business that advance our technology … [and] this transformation also means that we must decrease investments in areas where the market has been slower to develop,” Magic Leap explained in the blog post.
With Magic Leap taking a backseat for a few months, it now falls on the other AR hardware like theHTC Proton,Microsoft HoloLens 2and,if it ever gets made,theApple AR glassesto fill in the gap.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
Layoffs are always unfortunate, especially ones that happen during a pandemic, but hopefully those who are affected will find work at other companies working on bringing augmented reality to the masses and continue to help make those dreams a reality.
Nick Pino is Managing Editor, TV and AV for TechRadar’s sister site, Tom’s Guide. Previously, he was the Senior Editor of Home Entertainment at TechRadar, covering TVs, headphones, speakers, video games, VR and streaming devices. He’s also written for GamesRadar+, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade, and he has a degree in computer science he’s not using if anyone wants it.
Quordle today – hints and answers for Sunday, November 10 (game #1021)
The M4 Mac mini has removable, modular storage – and an important SSD upgrade
NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Sunday, November 10 (game #252)
