Colin Cassidy
Magic Leap 1 AR Headsets to Cease Functioning by December 2024
Magic Leap, the pioneering company in augmented reality (AR) technology, recently announced that its Magic Leap 1 AR headsets will “cease to function” by the end of December 2024. This news has left many customers disappointed, as the company was once seen as a trailblazer in the consumer AR market.
End of Life Announcement
In an email sent to all customers, Magic Leap stated that the Magic Leap 1 headset will no longer be available for purchase. However, the company is committed to providing support for the device until the end of 2024. This support includes:
- OS Updates: Magic Leap will address only core functionality outages until December 31, 2024.
- Customer Care: Troubleshooting assistance will be available for Magic Leap 1 product until the end of 2024.
- Warranties: Valid warranty claims will continue to be honored under the Magic Leap 1 Warranty Policy.
- Cloud Services: On December 31, 2024, cloud services for Magic Leap 1 will be discontinued, resulting in the device and apps no longer functioning.
Magic Leap 1 was initially launched in mid-2018 as the first transparent AR headset marketed and sold to consumers. The device, powered by a waist-mounted compute pack, featured a single tracked controller and later added hand tracking support.
Limited Content and Challenges
Despite its innovative features, Magic Leap 1 faced challenges in the market. Its high price tag of $2300 deterred many potential customers, and the limited capabilities of transparent optics became apparent. Compared to VR-style headsets, transparent AR offered a smaller field of view, making it less immersive for users.
The device’s form factor also posed limitations, as it was not suitable for outdoor use. This meant that anticipated functionalities like on-foot navigation, translation, and contextual information were not achievable with Magic Leap 1.
The disappointing sales figures reinforced the challenges faced by Magic Leap 1. While the company’s founder originally anticipated selling over a million units in the first year, only 6000 units were sold within the initial six months. In contrast, Microsoft’s HoloLens headsets, which focused more on enterprise applications, reportedly sold around 50,000 units in their first two years.
A Shift towards Enterprise
In response to market dynamics, Magic Leap pivoted its strategy towards enterprise applications. In late 2019, the company introduced a $3000 enterprise-focused bundle with business warranty and support. Magic Leap 2, launched nearly a year ago, further solidified the company’s enterprise-focused approach.
Magic Leap 2 boasts a taller field of view, brighter displays, and state-of-the-art dynamic dimming. However, the original vision of in-home AR that the Magic Leap 1 promised is set to make a comeback through opaque headsets with high-resolution color cameras, such as Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro.
The Future of AR
Despite the challenges faced by Magic Leap, the future of AR remains promising. With advancements made by companies like Meta and Apple, in-home AR experiences are likely to become more accessible and immersive in the coming years.
As the AR industry continues to evolve, Magic Leap’s decision to end support for Magic Leap 1 underscores the need for constant innovation and improvement in AR devices, particularly in terms of pricing, form factor, and field of view.
While the end of support for Magic Leap 1 may disappoint its existing users, it serves as a reminder that AR technology is evolving rapidly, opening up new possibilities for more immersive experiences in both consumer and enterprise markets.
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