 Welcome Inside Metaverse readers Graham and Adam! This week, we asked the Inside.com community about the future of augmented reality and how they expected AR to "change the world." Community Insights: - Community member Jigney noted how AR could change eCommerce. He explained, "An increasing number of retailers like Amazon and Walmart are implementing virtual try-on technologies, and multiple studies show that it can boost conversion rates and increase customer satisfaction and retention rates."
New Community Members: - Welcome to Inside.com, Graham Noel. A subscriber to Inside Metaverse, Noel is a junior marketing manager at NexPlayer.
- A business analyst at Infosys, Adam Spiegel, recently joined our community!
- Follow Graham and Adam, make them feel welcome, and let us know what you're interested in at Inside.com!
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According to Snap Inc.'s Geoffrey Perez, 250 million people are "engaging with augmented reality on our platform." Perez made the announcement at this year's Bloomberg Technology Summit in London. More: - Perez focused on the growing demand for virtual try-on, which allows users to explore how a product will look or fit virtually before purchasing it in real life.
- According to Perez, Snap users try on more than clothing, including jewelry and makeup.
- Perez told summit attendees that Snap will remain focused on AR technologies and normalizing its daily use.
- According to Span CEO Evan Spiegel, the company is monetizing virtual try-on by charging retailers a small transaction and startup fee.
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 Korea's popular Zepeto metaverse is planning global expansion. Considered "Asia's largest metaverse," the female-centric metaverse is now looking to enter Western Europe and the U.S. More: - The Korean-based tech company Naver owns the Zepeto metaverse.
- Investors include several K-pop titans such as YP Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and Hybe. SoftBank's Vision Fund II has also invested.
- Zepeto is valued at $1B.
- 340 million people have joined the Zepeto metaverse since it launched in 2018.
- It hosts 15-20 million monthly active users, 70% of which are young women ages 13-21.
- The K-pop and fashion-focused metaverse feels more like a social network.
- "It's actually a feed that really looks like TikTok or Instagram, but which only contains avatar content," explains one executive.
- The company makes money via avatar customizations and strategic partnerships.
- The company has partnered with several well-known fashion houses, including Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Bulgari, Adidas, and Nike.
- Disney and Universal have both made IP agreements with the metaverse platform.
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 Nreal's more affordable augmented reality glasses, the "Nreal Air," are now available for purchase in the U.S. on Amazon. The glasses cost $379 and an additional $59 for the HDMI to lighting dongle. Nreal updated the glasses' Nebula OS to support Macbook Pro and Air laptops. More: - After tethering the glasses to a compatible device, the glasses project 130-201-inch screens at a13.7- to 19.7-foot distance.
- Users can view multiple windows running on the tethered device using the glasses' "mirror mode" or open "AR Space" to stream content and play games.
- The battery lasts about five hours when streaming.
- While using AR Space, users are surrounded by 3D icons displayed within a "borderless, curved wall design."
- Available apps include Amazon, Cycling, Google, Message, PhotoGun, Pupup, QB Planets, Teleport, YouTube, Yahoo, and Wikipedia.
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AmazeVR raised $17M Series B to expand its virtual reality (VR) concert platform. The L.A.-based company plans on using the funds to hire more AI engineers, improve its Unity Engine graphics, increase partnerships, and enter new global markets. More: - Mirae Asset Capital led the round with participation from CJ Investment, Smilegate Investment, GS Futures, Mirae Asset Financial Group, LG Technology Ventures, CJ ENM, and Krafton.
- AmazeVR previously raised $15M Series A.
- The company exploded in popularity during the lockdown, as virtual shows replaced in-person events.
- AmazeVR's "music metaverse" is available on most VR app stores.
Zoom out: - In July, AmazeVR partnered with K-Pop's SM Entertainment to open a VR recording studio in South Korea.
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 VRAI is developing virtual simulation programs to train workers for wind turbine maintenance. The immersive learning program combines virtual reality (VR) with machine learning and data capture technologies to improve learning outcomes and measure improvements. The Dublin-based company recently announced it raised £3M ($3.2M). More: - The company disclosed its entry into wind turbine education after several nations, including the United Kingdom and Portugal, revealed that the countries would invest in energy-saving technology.
- VRAI can help grow the industry by providing companies with low-cost, scalable training modules specifically designed to train new wind-turbine workers.
- According to the Global Wind Organanization, the industry needs 500,000 new workers to meet growing demand.
- Easy to scale and more cost-efficient than on-the-ground training, Britain's defense contractor, BAE, uses VRAI immersive program to train military personnel.
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- The LGBTQ+-focused metaverse, Qtopia, has recently opened its land for pre-sale. Land owners receive NFT certificates of ownership.
- Apple CEO Tim Cook believes augmented reality companies need to hire more women to thrive. He explained, "Businesses can't cop out and say, 'there's not enough women taking computer science – therefore I can't hire enough.'"
- A recent study shows Australians are less excited about working in the metaverse. Compared to the global 78% average, just 70% of Australians say they would attend metaverse-based work meetings.
- Lenovo Group LTD. is partnering with Engage XR Holdings PLC to construct its Lenovo Metaverse.
*This is sponsored content.
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 |  | Courtney Rawlings is an Inside Research Analyst living in Los Angeles, California. She has returned to her hometown of LA after spending several years working at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she is completing a Ph.D. in Art and Architectural History. While working toward her Ph.D., Courtney has developed an interest in the language and history of the tech industry, especially regarding metaverse technologies, streaming, and podcasting. In fact, she hosted her own podcast Low Culture Boil! You can find her on Twitter: @ckayerawlings Email: courtney@inside.com |  | | Editor | Aaron Crutchfield is based in the high desert of California. Over the last two decades, he has spent time writing and editing at various local newspapers and defense contractors in California. When he's not working, he can often be found looking at the latest memes with his kids or working on his 1962 and 1972 Fords. | |
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