An Interview with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth About Orion Augmented Reality Glasses and Reality Labs

Meta’s latest push into augmented reality has everyone buzzing. The announcement of Orion Augmented Reality Glasses at Meta Connect 2024, followed by an in-depth interview with Meta’s Chief Technical Officer Andrew Bosworth, has highlighted Meta's ongoing work in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Let’s dive into the key points of this insightful interview with Bosworth about Orion, Meta Reality Labs, and the future of augmented reality.

A Decade of Investment Leading to Orion

Andrew Bosworth, often called "Boz," has been an integral part of Meta’s journey since its early days, having built Facebook’s News Feed and played a role in developing the ad product. Since 2017, he has led what is now known as Reality Labs, and in 2022, he took on the role of Meta’s CTO. Reality Labs, Meta's innovation arm, is dedicated to exploring AR and VR, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in immersive technology.

Meta Reality Labs has been striving to make augmented reality accessible, and Orion is their latest and boldest step. As Bosworth explained, Orion still needs to become a consumer-ready product. However, it is already showcasing how far Meta has come in creating AR glasses that blend the digital and physical worlds seamlessly. Bosworth states, “Orion makes every other VR or AR device I have tried feel like a mistake — including the Apple Vision Pro.”

The excitement surrounding Orion is warranted. The glasses offer an impressively wide field of view—70 degrees—and a comfortable design that feels natural, “as if you’re just wearing regular glasses,” as Bosworth put it. This ease of use stands in stark contrast to other AR or VR headsets, which tend to be bulky and cumbersome, making Orion a key player in the future of wearable AR technology.

The Technology Behind Orion Augmented Reality Glasses

Unlike many AR devices relying on pass-through technology, Orion’s advantage is its "native" approach to displaying augmented visuals in the real world. “The difference from the Quest or Vision Pro is that actually looking at reality is so dramatically different from even the best-in-class pass-through capabilities,” Bosworth said, emphasizing that Orion’s holographic display allows for more freedom of movement without compromising quality.

Orion operates with the support of a “puck,” a separate computing device that wirelessly connects to the glasses. This “puck” holds the computer for the operating system, while the glasses are equipped with dedicated hardware for low-latency calculations. Bosworth shared, “One challenge I see in this model is input: voice works well, and the wristband that detects electrical signals in your arm worked flawlessly.” He further elaborated that this wristband provides a discreet and intuitive way to control the glasses without needing a traditional controller.

Competing With Apple and Building for the Future

Meta and Apple are often seen as rivals in the mixed reality market, and this dynamic is heating up with Orion and Apple’s Vision Pro. Bosworth acknowledged the competition but noted that Meta is approaching this differently, focusing more on accessibility and user experience.

Reflecting on the Vision Pro, Bosworth said, “Your only real fear when a competitor launches a product is that they’ve had a breakthrough that you haven’t had.” Although technically impressive, he was relieved that the Vision Pro didn't contain any unexpected innovations that would give Apple a lasting edge.

Bosworth reiterated that Meta’s primary challenge isn’t just to compete with Apple but produce Orion at scale, and make it accessible to the masses.

Bosworth explained the long-term vision, stating, “We will be playing with this one and getting our intuition honed in the software for the next year or two probably, and then I think the focus will be on getting geared up for a consumer launch of a version of these.” Meta aims to develop a version of Orion that is affordable enough for widespread adoption within the next three to five years. While Orion is a technical marvel, its current $10,000 price tag means that Meta will need to work on cost reduction before it becomes a consumer product.

Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality: The Bifurcation

Throughout the interview, Bosworth discussed the differences between AR and VR, emphasizing how each technology serves different purposes and user experiences. “With augmented reality, Orion, a year ago, we actually hit this point where we’re like, ‘Okay, we believe in this, we see it, we have a really clear sense of where we’re going with this.’ And you know what really helped a lot with that was the Ray-Ban Meta glasses as well,” said Bosworth.

Ray-Ban Meta glasses were an important stepping stone for Meta, providing a practical form factor that people actually wanted to wear. Bosworth highlighted that if AR devices aren’t stylish or comfortable, users will simply avoid them. He said, “If they don’t look good, people will not wear them, it doesn’t matter what they do.” This ethos of combining functionality with design continues in Orion, which aims to replace smartphones as the go-to device.

VR, on the other hand, is about creating fully immersive experiences, whereas AR, as Bosworth explained, is “about enhancing reality in a way that makes your daily life more convenient without intruding on the physical world.” This distinction is crucial for understanding Meta’s dual strategy: VR to deepen engagement in virtual environments and AR to augment users' interactions with the real world.

The Developer Ecosystem and the Race for Adoption

Meta knows that to make AR a success, they need a robust developer ecosystem. During the interview, Bosworth clarified that Orion isn’t just about creating a powerful piece of hardware—it’s also about laying the groundwork for an ecosystem that encourages developer engagement. “We do want to ignite their enthusiasm and say, ‘Hey, if you’re investing in our Avatars platform… you’re going to get that dividend not just in the Quest ecosystem, but eventually also in the AR ecosystem,’” Bosworth said.

Meta is focusing on creating a thriving developer community because they understand the importance of content in driving AR adoption. Unlike VR, where standalone experiences are more prevalent, AR relies heavily on a developer ecosystem that creates applications across industries like education, healthcare, and retail. Meta aims to make Orion compelling for developers by providing them with the tools to create AR content that is accessible, dynamic, and able to reach a broad audience.

This strategy involves ensuring that the AR platform is open and developer-friendly. Bosworth mentioned, “The big open shift from a developer standpoint is we used to have a very curated store… now we’ve made that change over the last year to have an open app store that anybody could just ship any APK into, and the consumers decide.” By making Orion more open to developers, Meta hopes to stimulate creativity and ensure that the platform has a rich variety of user experiences.

The Challenges Ahead and a Look to the Future

While Orion is undoubtedly a leap forward, significant challenges remain to be tackled. One of the major obstacles is reducing the manufacturing costs so that the glasses are affordable for consumers. Bosworth said, “Manufacturing is hard, and no one is better at it than Apple.” Despite these challenges, he remains optimistic about Meta’s ability to scale the production of Orion.



Another challenge lies in creating an interface that feels natural for extended use. Bosworth described some input methods, such as voice commands and wrist sensors, but acknowledged that more work is needed. “Voice works well, and the wristband that detects electrical signals in your arm worked flawlessly… but I wouldn’t mind if that ‘puck’ contained a Blackberry-style keyboard for extended text entry,” he added. The quest to refine these controls is ongoing, as Meta aims to make AR glasses that people want to wear throughout the day, replacing other personal devices.

Meta's broader goal is to build a future where AR glasses like Orion replace smartphones as the primary means of connecting to the digital world. Bosworth is confident that Orion is capable of ushering in this change. He noted, “It’s the first time I put anything on that made me feel like I could envision a world where I don’t carry a smartphone.” This vision aligns with Meta’s overarching mission to make technology less intrusive and more embedded in the natural flow of life.

Conclusion: Orion as a Signal to the Market

Meta's Orion Augmented Reality Glasses are an ambitious endeavor that signals Meta’s readiness to lead the next wave of computing innovation. With its comfortable design, impressive technology, and clear focus on creating a seamless AR experience, Orion has the potential to reshape how we interact with the digital world. Bosworth’s comments make it clear that Meta is committed to refining AR technology and bringing it to the masses in an accessible and impactful way.

While challenges remain in scaling production and refining user input methods, Meta is confident that their strategy, bolstered by a robust developer ecosystem and a clear understanding of the consumer market, will ensure Orion’s success. “It’s years, not decades,” Bosworth remarked when asked when Orion could be ready for consumers.

With Orion, Meta has made a statement: augmented reality is not just a tech demo but a glimpse into the future. As the competition heats up, it’s clear that the augmented reality glasses race is just beginning, and Meta is well-positioned to lead the charge.