World’s first Augmented Reality laptop comes with a Virtual Reality headset
Israel base company Sightful announced at CES 2024 (held at America) that its augmented reality (AR) laptop is now available to buy at the cost of $2,150 for all.
The AR laptop, called Spacetop was designed to help users boost their productivity by having an unlimited AR viewing space in which to run all their programs, instead of a small laptop screen.
The company says it is the world’s first AR laptop. In simple terms, it is a variation on Apple’s Vision Pro AR headset and other similar offerings, but with a keyboard and mouse attached to the headset so you can easily work in Spacetop’s AR space.
Sightful’s Spacetop AR laptop goes on sale
Spacetop has been available in early access for a while now, but it has now been fully released to the general public. Much like Apple’s soon-to-be-released $3,500 Vision Pro headset, the Spacetop uses a mixed reality interface that lets you see your surroundings while also viewing virtual screens running the required programs.
Of course, VR has yet to be widely adopted, for work or even for gaming where it is more popular. So the jury is out on whether people will want to spend a whole workday wearing a headset. The big test will likely come on February 2, when Apple’s Vision Pro releases.
Nevertheless, Sightful claims in a press statement that its Spacetop hardware will usher in a new era for consumer technology, providing “users the power and privacy of Augmented Reality, combined with the mobility and practicality of traditional laptops.”
An AR headset you can take on the go isn’t a massive selling point seeing as many other companies have also envisioned AR software that interacts with people’s surroundings as they navigate the world. Still, it’s easy to see how Spacetop could allow certain users to get a lot of work done in less time, on public transport say, by enabling them to view several windows and applications at the same time.
“Our early access provided exactly the feedback we hoped for and needed from our users,” Tamir Berliner, CEO of Sightful, explained in the company’s statement. “The feedback we received has directly informed the refinement of our software, helping us get it to the point where we are ready to open up Spacetop to the broader public so they can experience the next stage in the evolution of laptops and the value that Augmented Reality can bring to their everyday lives.”
Will world’s first AR laptop take remote work to the next level?
Since the early access period, Sightful says it has listened to feedback and added features, including livestream screen-sharing, a motion stabilization mode that will help users stay focused while working on moving transport, and an expanded library of native web apps.
Sightful’s Spacetop is one of many new remote work-friendly consumer electronics devices shown off at this year’s CES in Las Vegas. Other examples include an AI-powered VR helmet that will provide mental support for astronauts in deep space, and a face mask that allows people to take private calls in public space without anyone nearby hearing their conversation.
