Ivan Sutherland
Amazon plans to partner with other tech giants like Apple, Google and Meta to build its own mass-market augmented reality product, job postings uncovered by Protocol suggest.
The numerous related jobs include roles in computer vision, product management, and more. They reportedly referred to “XR/AR devices” and “an advanced XR research concept.” Since Protocol published its report on Monday, several of the job postings referenced have been removed and others have been removed specific language about products.
For example, Protocol wrote that the description for the role Sr. Technical Program Manager, New Products contained the phrase “you are going to develop an advanced XR research concept into a magical and useful new-to-world consumer product.” Now it simply reads, “you will develop a magical and useful consumer product,” although it also reads, “our team specializes in inventing new, category-creating products using advanced detection, rendering, and machine learning technologies. ”
A UX Designer role asked that applicants could “think spatially, with 3D design experience in motion design, animation, AR/VR, games, architecture or industrial design” to work on “the core system interface along with end-user applications ranging from multimodal interfaces to 3D AR entertainment experiences.” (Again, some language has been changed or removed since Protocol ran its article.)
Google, Microsoft, and Snap have all released various AR wearables over the years with varying degrees of success, and they seem to be still working on future products in that category. Meanwhile, one of the industry’s worst-kept secrets is that Apple employs a massive team of engineers, researchers, and more working on mixed reality devices, including mass-market AR glasses. And Meta (formerly Facebook) has made its intentions to focus on AR explicit in recent years.
Unsurprisingly, Amazon is pursuing the same. As Protocol notes, Amazon launched a new R&D group led by Kharis O’Connell, an executive who has previously worked on AR products at Google and elsewhere.
But Amazon’s product may not be the same kind of product that we know Meta and Apple have focused on; it may not be wearable at all. Some Amazon job listings refer to it as a “smart home” device. And Amazon is one of the tech companies that has experimented with room-scale projection and holograms instead of wearables for AR.
Whatever form the product takes, it is likely to last for many years to come, as many of the mentioned roles are involved early in the development process.
