Consumers around the world have patiently awaited the launch of The Magic Lip augmented reality headset. It has been hinted at for several years now. Despite securing over $2bn in funding, images of this rumored project are still hard to come by. Magic Leap is now in the process of shipping its first few headsets, which marks an important milestone for the company.
Magic Leap is Finally Shipping
It has been coming for some time now, but Magic Leap is finally making positive moves. The company announced its augmented reality headset over eight years ago. It has been a long and hard road ever since, despite securing billions of dollars in funding. Even though units are being shipped as we speak, only select few people will get their hands on this unit. An unfortunate turn of events, albeit one most people saw coming from miles away.
The Magic Leap One, Creator Edition marks an important milestone for the company. With a price tag of $2,295, it costs more than a proper computer and high-end VR headset combined. Justifying such a purchase will be very difficult for most consumers. It is a very high price tag, especially for a unit which works very differently from what Magic Leap has shown in its previous promotional videos.
This is the developer unit, after all, and not the consumer-grade device. Magic leap still has a lot of work to do in this regard, although the developer unit will help the company in collecting valuable feedback. It is also part of the company’s “secretive” approach toward bringing this technology to the masses. Whether or not that approach will backfire in the long run, remains to be seen. Showing promotional videos alone will not get people excited about spending two months of mortgage payments.
One could argue the shipping of the Creator Edition paves the way for success. It shows the company can put together a working unit, even though it will look and feel very different from the finished product. Whether or not this unit can justify the company’s stock market valuation, is a different matter altogether. Matching investors’ expectation will be difficult, if not impossible.
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