MetaPro
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| MetaPro | |
|---|---|
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Augmented reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | AR Glasses |
| Developer | Meta (augmented reality company) |
| Announcement Date | 17 December 2013 |
| Price | US$3,000 (announced pre-order price) |
| Successor | Meta 2 |
| System | |
| CPU | 1.5GHz Intel i5 (in the pocket computer) |
| Storage | |
| Storage | 128GB SSD (in the pocket computer) |
| Memory | 4GB RAM (in the pocket computer) |
| Display | |
| Display | Dual see-through display modules, stereoscopic 3D |
| Resolution | 1280x720 pixels for both displays |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 40 degrees |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Carl Zeiss lenses; display technology from Lumus |
| Ocularity | Binocular |
| Tracking | |
| Hand Tracking | Yes, finger and gesture interaction |
| Audio | |
| Audio | 3D surround sound |
| Camera | Twin RGB cameras; 3D time-of-flight depth sensor |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | Wired connection to a pocket computer |
| Ports | USB |
| WiFi | 802.11n |
| Bluetooth | 4.0 |
| Battery Capacity | 32Wh (in the pocket computer) |
| Battery Life | 4 to 8 hours (as reported at announcement) |
| Device | |
| Weight | 180g (glasses) |
| Sensors | 9-axis motion tracking (accelerometer, gyroscope and compass) |
| Input | Hand gestures |
MetaPro (also written Meta Pro) is an advertised optical see-through headset from Meta, an augmented reality startup co-founded by Meron Gribetz.[1][2] Meta opened pre-orders on 17 December 2013 at a price of US$3,000 and demonstrated prototypes at CES 2014.[1][3][4]
The headset is a pair of aviator-style glasses with two see-through 1280x720 displays, a 40 degree field of view, a depth camera for hand tracking, and connects by cable to a pocket computer with an Intel Core i5 processor.[5][6] Deliveries were first promised for June 2014, but the date on Meta's website moved several times, and by December 2014 the site advertised only the Meta 1 Developer Kit.[5][7] Road to VR later wrote that the company "rebooted the headset" and revealed it in early 2016 as the Meta 2.[8]
Announcement and release
Before the MetaPro, Meta sold the META.01 developer kit for US$667.[1][4] Meta's technology page in January 2014 listed the developer glasses as using twin 960x540 see-through TFT LCD displays with a 23 degree field of view, a 720p RGB camera, a 320x240 infrared depth camera and a 9-degree-of-freedom sensor, and it required a Windows PC.[9]
Meta announced the MetaPro on 17 December 2013 and began taking pre-orders the same day. TechCrunch described it as a sleeker and more wearable design than the developer version, and reported a price of US$3,000 with shipping expected in June 2014.[1] SlashGear reported the same price and ship date and wrote that Meta's founder, Meron Gribetz, hoped an "iPhone quality pair of sunglasses" would persuade early adopters.[6] Singularity Hub reported that roughly 1,500 third-party developers were set to receive the earlier, bulkier prototype headset.[10] In March 2014, Digital Trends gave the price of the "Meta Pro sunglasses" as US$3,650.[11]
At CES 2014, Meta showed early MetaPro prototypes to the press. Engadget reported that an early prototype shown there was tethered to a small backpack, and that the final version was expected to cost around US$3,000, compared with US$667 for the developer kit.[4] Tom's Guide named the MetaPro "Best Heads-Up Display" in its Best of CES 2014 list.[12] TechCrunch's Ingrid Lunden also listed it among her favorite finds of the show, describing it as looking "like a pair of souped-up sunglasses".[3] In a February 2014 hands-on, TechCrunch reported that the unit shown was heavier than the final version, that shipping was planned for summer 2014, and that Meta had fewer than 50 employees and was based in Portola Valley, California.[13]
Delivery dates
The delivery date shown on Meta's website changed several times during 2014, as archived copies of the site show:
| Snapshot date | Delivery message on spaceglasses.com |
|---|---|
| 18 December 2013 | "Deliveries Start June 2014"[5] |
| 21 February 2014 | "Deliveries Start July 2014"[14] |
| 1 April 2014 | "New Orders Start Delivery In September 2014"[15] |
| 1 July 2014 | "New Orders Start Delivery In January 2015"[16] |
| 17 September 2014 | "New Orders Shipping August 2015"[17] |
| 5 December 2014 | No MetaPro listing; the site offered the Meta 1 Developer Kit through its Pioneers Program[7] |
In September 2014, Meta began shipping the Meta 1 Developer Kit to 1,500 members of its Pioneer Program.[18] Gribetz unveiled the company's next headset, the Meta 2, during a TED Talk in early 2016.[2] Road to VR reported the Meta 2 development kit price as US$949.[8] Road to VR summarized the change as follows: "Having initially taken pre-orders for the $3,000 Meta Pro glasses back in 2013, the company rebooted the headset and revealed it in early 2016 as the Meta 2".[8] In January 2019, Variety reported that the bank securing Meta's debt had pulled its loan and sold the company's assets, and that Meta's chief financial officer had written in a court filing that "Meta Company is insolvent".[2]
Design and hardware
The MetaPro is a pair of aviator-style glasses. Engadget wrote that it would look "like a set of aviator glasses" in its final version.[4] The glasses contain the displays, cameras and motion sensors, and they connect through a cable to a separate pocket computer that holds the processor, storage and battery.[5][6] Singularity Hub described the cable as running down the user's back to a pocket computer "slightly bigger than an iPhone".[10]
It has about a 40 degree field of view.[1] Meta listed dual transparent display modules with a combined resolution of "1280x720 pixels for both displays"; TechCrunch reported the display as 720p HD per eye.[5][1] The display could show stereoscopic 3D images. Meta claimed it had 15 times the display area of Google Glass, and Engadget quoted the company as saying its viewing angle was 60 percent larger than Glass.[5][4]
It uses display technology from Lumus.[11] Meta also advertised lenses from Carl Zeiss.[5] Meta's website listed Rami Aharoni, one of the founders of Lumus, as the company's chief financial officer.[5]
For sensing, the glasses have twin RGB cameras, a 3D time-of-flight depth sensor used for hand tracking, and a 9-axis motion unit made up of an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a compass.[5][6] Meta also listed "Digital Precise 3D surround sound".[5]
The following specifications are from Meta's product page of December 2013 unless noted:
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Display | Dual see-through display modules, 3D stereoscopic[5] |
| Resolution | 1280x720 pixels for both displays[5] |
| Field of view | 40 degrees[5] |
| Cameras | Twin RGB cameras; 3D time-of-flight depth sensor[5] |
| Motion sensors | 9-axis: accelerometer, gyroscope and compass[5] |
| Processor | 1.5GHz Intel i5 CPU; Engadget identified it as a Core i5 Haswell chip[5][4] |
| Memory | 4GB RAM[5] |
| Storage | 128GB SSD[5] |
| Battery | 32Whr, in the pocket computer; SlashGear reported an expected 4 to 8 hours of use[5][6] |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0[5] |
| Wired | USB[5] |
| Weight | 180g (glasses)[5] |
| Included accessories | Carry case, USB cable[5] |
Software and features
The MetaPro is controlled with hand gestures in the air; Singularity Hub contrasted this with Google Glass, which users operate by touching the earpiece or speaking.[10] Meta's product page described "precise finger and gesture interaction" and a MetaApp Store, and claimed that more than 500 Meta applications were in development.[5] Meta also advertised that the glasses could mirror a user's phone and laptop as virtual screens that could be resized and placed in space.[5]
At CES 2014, reporters tried demos in which they drew and sculpted 3D models with their hands and then sent the models to a 3D printer.[4][19] Singularity Hub described a demo in which the user pinched a sun icon to turn a connected lamp on and off.[10] In a February 2014 demonstration for TechCrunch, Gribetz used hand gestures to show a replacement for CAD software.[13]
Laptop Mag reported that, because the glasses use a standard Intel Core i5 CPU, a 128GB SSD and 4GB of RAM, they could run desktop operating systems such as Windows, macOS or Linux. Gribetz told the publication that Meta was working on a virtual keyboard that would appear on any surface, and the magazine listed an ad blocker for real-world billboards and a facial recognition function among likely apps.[19] Gribetz also told Laptop Mag that his team was working with the designer of the augmented reality interface used in the Iron Man films.[19]
Reception
Early coverage was based on prototypes. Laptop Mag wrote that the unit it tried "was still very much in alpha condition" but said its staff were "blown away by the completely immersive environment" the glasses created.[19] Engadget called the US$3,000 price "a hefty premium" over the developer kit and attributed it in part to parts such as the Core i5 Haswell chip and the Carl Zeiss lenses.[4] In its Best of CES 2014 list, Tom's Guide wrote that the Meta Pro "literally changes the way you view the world".[12] Singularity Hub noted that the glasses weighed "nearly 4 times what Glass does".[10] Digital Trends called the price "unfeasibly expensive".[11]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Lawler, Ryan (2013-12-17). "Meta Unveils Meta Pro, Its $3,000 AR Glasses Now Available For Pre-Order". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2013/12/17/meta-pro/. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Janko Roettgers (2019-01-18). "The Story Behind Meta, the AR Startup That Just Had Its Assets Sold to a Mystery Buyer". Variety. https://variety.com/2019/digital/features/meta-ar-startup-asset-sale-1203111585/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ingrid Lunden (2014-01-12). "The Best of CES 2014". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2014/01/12/the-best-of-ces-2014/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Brian Heater (2014-01-10). "The MetaPro glasses do some pretty amazing things with augmented reality". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2014-01-10-metapro.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 5.21 5.22 5.23 5.24 "Meta - SpaceGlasses". Meta (spaceglasses.com, archived). Meta. 2013-12-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20131218113458/http://www.spaceglasses.com/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Chris Davies (2013-12-17). "MetaPro AR Glasses Pack Iron Man Tech Into Aviator Style". SlashGear. https://www.slashgear.com/metapro-ar-glasses-pack-iron-man-tech-into-aviator-style-17309096/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Home: Meta Augmented Reality". Meta (spaceglasses.com, archived). Meta Company. 2014-12-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20141205151916/http://www.spaceglasses.com/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Ben Lang (2017-04-25). "Exclusive: Meta 2 AR Demos Revealed in Full". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/exclusive-meta-2-ar-demos-revealed-full/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Meta - Technology". Meta (spaceglasses.com, archived). Meta. 2014-01-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20140107075904/https://www.spaceglasses.com/technology. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Cameron Scott (2013-12-19). "Meta Launches Its AR Eyeglass Hologram Computer To Compete With Glass". Singularity Hub. https://singularityhub.com/2013/12/19/meta-launches-its-ar-eyeglass-hologram-computer-to-compete-with-glass/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Boxall, Andy (2014-03-10). "Lumus Optical adds military-spec tech to consumer smart glasses". Digital Trends. https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/lumus-optical-adds-military-spec-tech-to-consumer-smart-glasses/#/3. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Tom's Guide Staff (2014-01-09). "Best of CES 2014". Tom's Guide. https://web.archive.org/web/20140113032817/http://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/624-best-ces-2014.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Colleen Taylor (2014-02-25). "Hands On With Meta Pro, The Augmented Reality Glasses With 16X More Screen Than Google Glass". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2014/02/25/hands-on-with-meta-pro-2-0-ar-glasses/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Meta - PreOrder Now". Meta (spaceglasses.com, archived). Meta. 2014-02-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20140221094515/https://www.spaceglasses.com/buy. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Meta - SpaceGlasses". Meta (spaceglasses.com, archived). Meta. 2014-04-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20140401191406/http://www.spaceglasses.com/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Meta - SpaceGlasses". Meta (spaceglasses.com, archived). Meta. 2014-07-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20140701070652/http://www.spaceglasses.com/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Meta - SpaceGlasses". Meta (spaceglasses.com, archived). Meta. 2014-09-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20140917055819/http://www.spaceglasses.com/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ Jay Donovan (2014-09-18). "Meta 1 Augmented Reality Glasses Are Dragging Us Into A VR Future". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2014/09/18/meta-1-augmented-reality-glasses-are-dragging-us-into-a-vr-future/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Avram Piltch (2014-01-08). "Meta Pro AR Goggles Kick Google's Glass". Laptop Mag. https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/meta-pro-glasses-hands-on. Retrieved 2026-09-27.