Alibaba Group Holding Ltd on Oct 13 unveiled the new generation of its smart glasses, deepening its foray into consumer electronics as an extension of its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy.
The company, which models itself as China’s full-stack AI provider spanning everything from data centres and software to end-user products, detailed its new Qwen Glasses N1 series at an event in Hangzhou. With prices starting at 2,999 yuan (US$450 or RM1,837) before discounts, they’re no cheaper than industry leader Meta Platforms Inc’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, showing Alibaba’s effort to compete on quality and features rather than just price.
Mirroring Meta’s strategy, Alibaba is endeavouring to turn smart glasses into an entry point for its AI tools and agents. Meta last month expanded its lineup of smart glasses with a simplified, camera-free model priced at US$349 (RM1,424), designed primarily for interaction with the new Muse AI assistant.
The new Alibaba glasses include improved 50-megapixel cameras and sensors, with a Pro edition priced at 3,499 yuan (RM2,134) featuring new eye-tracking functions, said Wu Jianjun, general manager of Qwen AI hardware products. The new glasses will offer 25 hours of standby time or 9 hours of music playback from one charge, Alibaba said. Coming roughly a year after November’s first edition, the new glasses more tightly integrate Alibaba’s Qwen AI assistant and expand on its functionality.
Users will be able to speak to the AI agent via bone-conduction microphones, and the glasses also support shopping functions, payments and health tracking. Alibaba chief executive officer Eddie Wu last month reiterated the company’s ambition to develop all-stack AI, from large language models and chatbot apps to AI chips and hardware.
To provide a more affordable way to access Qwen, Alibaba also started sales of its new AI earbuds named Qwen Clip. These were jointly developed with headphone maker Bose Corp. and are priced at 1,299 yuan (RM792). – Bloomberg
