Uh...When talking about investors and venture capital, they usually are talking about return on investment years ahead of time. No one expects immediate returns in investing. That is why Magic Leap got billions in investment before even having a consumer ready product. And they know that it will likely take many years before they see returns on their investment.
They're working on contacts lenses now, while they are working on glasses, so it's not like I'm getting ahead of myself by referring to them. They are the next progression in the evolution of AR, so if we're talking about the future of the tech contacts are pretty relevant, no?
Well,
you should perhaps talk to those investors who are apparently disappointed according to the report
... LOL... they sound like domainers.
But yea... AR contacts have been in R&D for over 6 years.
But the Holodeck has been there for over 20.
What counts is what actually happens. Ask those investors. That's how they think.
Breakthrough tech by itself is not enough.
They have to figure out how to make it usable and cost effective for use in a production setting that can be profitable. Right now the latter is magic leaps problem. Because their tech has been there for 8 years or more. But to produce it to the masses at a profit is a bit different.
Otherwise we (the average populous) never see it.
When did you first lay eyes on a fax machine ?
The fax machine is over 100 years old and was invented in mid 1800's
and photographic quality was achieved in early 1900's...
I used to receive fax images direct off of 'HF radio' transmitted by the news media worldwide in the 80's and 90's, but now I think the use either the internet or satellite.
But if you would have tried to sell facsimile to the public when it took it next transitional evolution step back in 1933 when we had the invention of television that was based off the same tech, you could have sold a lot of stock if not for the stock market having crashed from all the hype of that time.
Just a historical perspective on what hype is in tech. And how long it can take from a working prototype to a profitable consumer venture. Albeit the pace of today is much faster. The theory is the same.
Those that have the understanding of being able to do it vs being able to do it profitably separates investors.
Some investors pay well for good advise on these matters.