Market Reality: Magic Leap's Florida Fortress Exposed, Apple's Smartglasses Secret Weapon, & Game of Thrones in AR

They say home is where the heart is. So, the opportunity to view the inner sanctum of Magic Leap is like gaining access to what makes the company tick, just as the fruits of its labor make it into select AT&T stores.

Elsewhere, while Apple's big games, news, and TV event didn't reveal much in the way of augmented reality per se, one announcement may actually be as important to its AR future as its oft-rumored smartglasses.

Speaking of smartglasses, Huawei made a surprise entrance into the AR wearables market this week with its own smartglasses. But it's not what it sounds like (pun intended).

Take a Tour of Magic Leap's Top Secret Headquarters

The long guarded veil of mystery surrounding Magic Leap for years was finally lifted last year when the company revealed its Magic Leap One device.

But even now, as the company releases new apps and high profile partnerships, the company itself remains something of a cipher. We can now erase at least a portion of that mystery via images we've obtained of the interiors of Magic Leap's remote Florida headquarters.

Let's take a peek inside the hidden lair of spatial computing, shall we?

REALITY BITES: After a veritable exodus of executives, Snap has filled one of the vacancies, with former Twitter and ESPN marketer David Roter joining the company next month as vice president of global agency partnerships. He will report to Jeremi Gorman, chief business officer. While Roter will be responsible for wooing advertisers, it appears the company needs to pay some attention to its creator community, as word around the campfire is that top creators are finding that opportunities for branded content are scarce.

Apple Lays Foundation for AR Smartglasses via Apple Card

On Monday, Apple unveiled its Apple Card, the company's boldest move yet toward becoming a truly mainstream mobile payments company. And the product has vast implications for our augmented reality future, some of which may not be immediately obvious to many.

Let's start with a little background. Although Apple Pay has existed for some time now, and has managed to snag a good deal of users, it's still not as ubiquitous as one might expect for a product made by the creators of the iPhone.

The dynamics around the Apple Card may help to change all that. Read on to find out how...

REALITY BITES: At this week's Adobe Summit, the host company impressed futurists and marketers alike with its Augmented Offers feature. If that wasn't enough, Adobe brought actress Mindy Kaling on stage to draw even more attention.

Huawei Takes Shots at Snap Spectacles While Unveiling Smartglasses

During Huawei's P30 smartphone launch event on Tuesday, the China-based company unveiled a surprise addition to its line-up: smartglasses. The device is launching in partnership with South Korean fashion eyewear company Gentle Monster.

One particularly interesting part of the presentation was when Hankook Kim, the CEO of Gentle Monster, took a large amount of time to take a few shots at Snap's Spectacles.

Continue reading to learn more about Huawei's take on smartglasses and what Kim had to say about Snap's Spectacles...

REALITY BITES: This week, from the depths of Medium come not one but two screeds from luminaries of augmented reality. HoloLens co-creator Avi Bar-Zeev, fresh off his stint at Apple, revisited the concept of augmented and virtual reality superpowers in the context of six years of innovation and iteration on the technologies. Speaking of superpowers, Super Ventures partner and Augmented World Expo co-producer Tom Emrich explored seven ways that augmented reality and virtual reality are turning the advertising and marketing industry on its head.

AT&T Begins Selling Magic Leap One Alongside Game of Thrones AR Promotion

In recent months, the Magic Leap One has frequently tied promotions to groundbreaking entertainment properties, but the latest may be the startup's biggest coup yet. On Wednesday, HBO announced an upcoming Magic Leap One experience that will allow fans to experience the world of Game of Thrones in augmented reality.

And if fans are duly impressed with the Game of Thrones experience and want to try more spatial computing, the Magic Leap One will be available for purchase (for $2,295) directly at the brick-and-mortar AT&T store hosting the demo.

Keep reading to find out more about the promotion of Fire and Ice and where you can demo the Magic Leap One and the AR experience in person...

REALITY BITES: The marketing world has almost fully embraced augmented reality as a means to capture the attention of consumers. With that in mind, we've created a section on Next Reality that is devoted to the augmented reality experiences pitched by our modern Mad Men who are crafting the marketing messages of the 21st century. If you're interested in AR advertising and marketing, check out our Marketing section!

Every Friday, Next Reality reviews the latest headlines from the financial side of augmented and mixed reality. This weekly Market Reality column covers funding announcements, mergers and acquisitions, market analysis, and the like. Check out previous editions of Market Reality for more news you may have missed.

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