Alibaba Enters AI Wearables Race With Quark Glasses in China
- tech360.tv
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Alibaba has launched its new Quark artificial intelligence glasses in China, marking the Chinese technology company's entry into the AI wearables market. The headset is powered by Alibaba's Qwen AI model and application.
Prices for the glasses start from 1,899 yuan, equivalent to USD 268.25. Unlike headsets from competitors such as Meta, the Quark glasses resemble regular eyewear, featuring a black plastic frame.
Alibaba stated that the glasses will be deeply integrated with its applications, including Alipay, and its shopping site, Taobao. Users will be able to use them for tasks such as on-the-go translation and instant price recognition.
"Alibaba's strengths are shopping, payments, and navigation, so its AI glasses function more like a life assistant," said Li Chengdong, a Beijing-based electronics industry analyst. Alibaba is pushing into the consumer AI market after previously lagging rivals.
The company made a major upgrade to its AI chatbot earlier this month. Chengdong explained that Alibaba's strategy for AI glasses focuses on capturing future traffic entry amid intense competition in China's e-commerce sector.
"Alibaba is not a monopoly in e-commerce," Chengdong said. "It hopes AI can help it secure the next-generation traffic gateway."
The new Quark AI glasses are available on major Chinese e-commerce platforms, including Tmall, JD.com, and Douyin. Sales figures are not yet available, as the product only officially launched on Thursday.
The race to find new forms of devices for entertainment and computing, underpinned by AI, has fuelled competition among major technology companies. Instagram-owner Meta overwhelmingly dominates the virtual reality headset industry with about an 80% market share.
Apple sells its Vision Pro headset, while Samsung Electronics released its Galaxy XR extended reality headset in October that uses AI features from Alphabet's Google. Other Chinese technology companies have also launched similar AI-powered glasses, with Xiaomi launching a product in June and Baidu already having a similar product for sale.
Alibaba has launched its Quark AI glasses in China, entering the AI wearables market.
The glasses, powered by Alibaba's Qwen AI model, are priced at 1,899 yuan (USD 268.25) and resemble regular eyewear.
Key functions include on-the-go translation, instant price recognition, and deep integration with Alibaba applications like Alipay and Taobao.
Source: REUTERS