Even Realities, the company behind the smart glasses “Even G2,” held “Even Day Japan 2026 supported by Jun JUN GINZA” in Tokyo on July 17th. The event attracted over 300 users and developers, exceeding initial expectations.
(Even Day, a community event for developers and users of Even Realities products, was held in Japan for the first time.)
(Even G2 on display at the venue)
For this event, founder and CEO Wang Will also came to Japan. He explained the current state of the product and developer ecosystem, as well as the future roadmap.
■ The value of smart glasses lies in “not being limited by screen size.”
CEO Wang cited “the contradictions inherent in computer interfaces” as the starting point for Even Realities.
(Wang Will, CEO, took to the stage for the keynote speech)
CEO Wang said, “We have always strived for devices to be more accessible and mobile. However, making devices more mobile also means smaller screens and limited functionality. That’s why we feel there is a need for smart devices that are small enough to be worn all the time, yet are not limited by screen size.”
While devices have become more accessible, from PCs to smartphones and smartwatches, increasing portability inevitably leads to smaller screens and limited functionality. On the other hand, glasses with a built-in display can be worn constantly and are not limited by apparent screen size.
In other words, the idea is that the ability to reduce device size while maintaining a large display area is what gives it potential as a next-generation interface.
(The value lies in being able to convey information on a large screen through small glasses.)
The goal is “essentially the next iPhone.” This seems to mean “the next iPhone” in terms of user interface, rather than replacing the smartphone as a communication device.
CEO Wang said, “The virtual screen size of the Even G1 was quite small for everyday use. However, with the G2, we have enlarged the virtual screen size, allowing us to do much more. This evolution will continue in future products, and at some point, it will be more convenient than a smartphone, while remaining just as comfortable and convenient for everyday use as it is now.”
(New value is created precisely because users process and organize the information.)
Software advancements also become crucial in this regard.
At the heart of this is “Even Hub,” a developer platform launched this spring. Currently, there are approximately 500 published apps and around 5,000 registered developers. In fact, there are about 4,000 apps that are not published on app stores and are created solely for the developers’ own use.
Generative AI has lowered the barrier to development, allowing individuals to create personalized experiences in short bursts of time each morning, without needing to assemble a specialized team. Wang describes this trend as a “magical phenomenon” happening at Hub Even.
CEO Wang said, “Many people are creating apps for their own use, not for public release. They don’t need to assemble a large development team or get listed on an app store. They can use a little time in the morning to build something for themselves.”
Even Hub will undergo a complete overhaul within the next two to three months, including improvements to the user experience such as folder organization, quick access to apps, and recommendation pages to make apps easier to discover.
CEO Wang said, “The app is unstable, and it can be difficult to launch or close apps quickly. Also, there’s no curated page showing what’s new and what’s recommended, making it hard to discover new things. We plan to completely revamp the Even Hub front interface within the next two to three months.”
Currently, Even Hub has prioritized providing an environment for developers, but it’s still difficult for general users to understand “what to do and how to use it.” Therefore, the next goal will likely be to connect the growing number of apps to everyday use and develop it into a full-fledged app distribution environment.
Updates to standard features were also discussed.
(Explanation of future feature enhancements)
Of particular importance is Even G2’s core feature, “Conversate,” which transcribes, translates, and summarizes conversations. A major update, including a personalized knowledge base and customization of the AI agent, is planned for the next two to three months.
■Why did you leave Apple and start a smart glasses business?
In the latter half of his speech, CEO Wang also touched upon his reasons for leaving Apple and founding Realities Even. Wang, who worked as an engineer at Apple early in his career, said he was a “huge Apple fan” who joined the company excited by the first iPod and iPhone. However, during his three years there, he became disappointed as the company’s decision-making became increasingly cautious and gravitated towards safer choices.
CEO Wang said, “I imagined Apple would continue to make bold decisions, innovate, and create things that had never been done before. But what I realized over the past three years is that Apple has been making more cautious decisions and playing safer bets each year. I thought that if we really wanted to help create the ‘next iPhone,’ the next thing, it had to be a new company, not Apple.”
After leaving Apple, he searched Silicon Valley for a startup that embodied the spirit of the old Apple. However, he couldn’t find a company that was seriously committed to hardware, as investments and talent were concentrated on software. So, in 2018, he returned to China and began building relationships with the supply chain and recruiting engineers.
CEO Wang said, “We realized that our entire supply chain is located in China, and that there are many incredibly talented engineers there. We realized how efficient it is to build a company by hiring the best talent and partnering with the best supply chain partners. We want to create the greatest consumer electronics company of the next generation.”
Wang cited Tesla, OpenAI, and Anthropic as examples, arguing that it is new companies with a clear vision that will transform industries at turning points. His statement that he is not afraid of competing with Apple and Samsung is inextricably linked to his own reasons for leaving large corporations.
■What the developer panel reveals about the Japanese community
At the developer panel, “Denden Neko Neko,” who has been using the product since G1, YouTuber “Mr. VR,” and “@takashicompan” shared their experiences using the product and their suggestions for improvements.
(From left: CEO Wang, @takashicompan, Mr. VR, Neko Denden Neko, and David, Manager Product at Realities Even)
DenDenMaoMao described her experience attending Apple’s WWDC developer conference while wearing an Even G2. She shared her experience using the G2’s translation function from morning till night.
Mr. VR began developing apps about a year ago. For Even Hub, he is developing “Live News,” which he positions as a “future AR radio” that allows users to enjoy news through audio. He values the G2 as hardware that allows users to naturally access information even in everyday situations where it is difficult to take out a smartphone, such as at a drinking party.
@takashicompan has already released around five apps. One of them, “Make 15,” is a text-based version of the “2048” type puzzle where you combine numbers, designed to move smoothly on a glass. “Video Note,” which displays images and text sent from a smartphone, is his most downloaded app. Furthermore, he uses a self-made terminal function to check his codes by giving voice commands while running on a treadmill in the morning.
During the panel discussion, specific requests were made, such as “We want to be able to handle voice recognition and head orientation information, which are available in the official features, in the SDK as well,” “We want improvements to image rendering,” and “We want to be able to open up gestures such as long presses to developers.”
In response, CEO Wang explained that “some of these are already included in the roadmap.” He added that they are planning significant changes, particularly to the gesture recognition logic.
■Details of the Q&A session after the event. This will also cover the characteristics of the Japanese market and the “G3” plan.
Following the event, a Q&A session with CEO Wang was held for members of the press. The summary is as follows:
(CEO Wang answers questions from reporters)
—In places where many people gather, communication can become congested. Are you interested in new protocols such as Bluetooth’s “Auracast*”?
*Auracast: A wireless audio technology that shares Bluetooth audio to multiple devices in real time.
CEO Wang: I think the new protocol, AuraCast, is a really, really great idea. It’s especially useful in public environments like this, because currently, when there are so many smart glasses in a room, the radio signals interfere with each other. This is the most difficult situation. If we can use Bluetooth broadcasting, it will be much more convenient. In the future, we may be able to offer it as an enterprise solution. It may not be that important to individual users, but it is very useful for businesses. We would like to improve it in the future.
—What is the reason for emphasizing community?
Wang, CEO: With the ecosystem in place, G2 will be able to do so much more. And one of the directions we are most passionate about in G3 is interaction. The biggest reason people want G2 is because it has a convenient screen that can be displayed anytime and maintains privacy. That alone enables unique applications that are different from smartphones. However, currently, screen interaction is not that simple. There are rings and voice, but that is not enough, and it is not simple. That is why in G3 we are putting a lot of effort into building a more seamless interaction between people and devices. I believe that once that is achieved, the developer ecosystem will go to the next level. I am confident that our greatest strength will be that we have the ecosystem first and continue to nurture it as competitors enter the market. In order to build together with the community, we ourselves need to be a part of the community. I myself am deeply connected to the community and consider ourselves a part of it. We don’t want a relationship where we, who are building the brand, are on top and you are developing for us, but rather a place where developers and customers feel that “this is a platform made for us.”
–I’d like to ask about the differences between communities in different countries. How does the Japanese community differ from communities in other countries?
CEO Wang: Currently, the Japanese developer community is not the largest in terms of numbers or size. There are more developers in the United States. However, Japanese developers are the most cohesive, stay in the same area, and communicate very frequently. They hold various events, both online and offline, and the fact that so many developers gather at this event is living proof of that. We also held a hackathon in Silicon Valley. It was a hackathon, not an Even Day, and fans from Silicon Valley gathered there as well. However, it didn’t reach this level of enthusiasm. They also love our work, but they are more laid-back, and developers prefer to work independently. They don’t seem to feel the need to gather as much. That’s why I think the power of the Japanese community, where people come together, share ideas, and grow together, is truly amazing.
—How will you monetize Hub Even?
CEO Wang: We’ve been getting a lot of questions from developers about monetization. We’ve started discussions with some developers, but we don’t plan to implement it anytime soon. That’s because we feel there are still many issues to resolve with Even Hub. At this stage, if a regular user who isn’t a developer were to look at Even Hub, they probably wouldn’t know how to get started. We believe we need to raise the overall experience to a higher level before we start monetizing. In the meantime, if there are any exceptionally talented developers who need incentives, we plan to pay them directly rather than having customers pay them. We will continue to improve how we build compatibility with more services and how we receive feedback.
—How will you approach marketing in Japan?
CEO Wang: Our entry into Yodobashi Camera and Bic Camera has been very successful, but we haven’t yet held a large-scale marketing event in Japan. Japan is going to be our most important market, so we want to do our marketing properly. In fact, prior to this event, we visited marketing agencies with whom we plan to collaborate in the future. We’ve been discussing brand spokespeople, ambassadors, and other marketing activities. We will be engaging with even more YouTubers, influencers, and celebrities going forward. If you have any celebrities or influencers you would like us to recommend, please let us know.
Smart glasses are a very new product for many customers. Currently, they don’t know what the product is for, or how to use it even if they are handed it to them. There are three areas where we need to improve. First, we need to increase offline store displays. We expanded into stores like Camera Yodobashi and Camera Bic because it’s necessary for people to actually experience product demonstrations. Retail channel space is not just a place to sell, but a place where people can try the product, which is extremely important. Second, in marketing, we need to communicate concrete use cases. Up until now, we have created a lot of unboxing videos and product introduction content, but these were not in real-life scenarios. In the next stage, we want to focus on introducing real-life, authentic use cases. Third, we need to make the product itself more intuitive. That way, even if you hand it to your mother and she unboxes it, she will know how to use it.
—What are your thoughts on the weight of the product?
CEO Wang: It definitely needs to be kept under 40g. Anything over 40g is definitely too heavy. However, even within the 40g range, I feel that around 35g is the most optimal weight.
—What is your sales share in the Japanese market?
CEO Wang: “The Japanese market currently accounts for nearly 15% of our total market share and is continuing to grow. We started the year at less than 5%, but it is now growing very rapidly.”
–Let’s talk about the enterprise market. You’re planning to release an SDK for businesses in the third or fourth quarter. How do you plan to expand the enterprise market for smart glasses?
CEO Wang: We believe there is enormous potential in the enterprise market. We are already receiving a steady stream of inquiries from many companies regarding bulk purchases. They have specific software needs. Therefore, to serve the enterprise market, we need an enterprise sales team and the related engineering resources to support it. It is included in our roadmap, but we do not want to take on more work than we can handle at this point. The retail market is expanding, and online sales are also growing. We want to proceed step by step without rushing. The enterprise market is important, but it is still not as important as the consumer market. Ultimately, we are a consumer brand, and our top priority is to succeed in this area. The enterprise market will never be more important than the consumer market.
—Are there any plans to add color variations or shapes?
CEO Wang: We are considering two approaches. The first is to increase product variations in the future. This will increase as sales volume grows. Currently, two shapes and three colors are sufficient, but as volume increases, we will create even more shapes and colors. For example, when we introduce the G3, there is a very high possibility that we will offer a different shape option than the current one. Also, increasing color variations is a very easy way to differentiate ourselves from the competition, so we will further expand in that area as well.
As our second initiative, we will gradually introduce accessories. We already have clip-ons, but we will add more different types of accessories to decorate your glasses. It’s like buying an Apple Watch; the watch itself is the same, but you can change the band. We plan to add a variety of accessories that can be attached to glasses in the future.
—What are some of the apps on Hub Even that you use most often?
CEO Wang: The first is a game called ‘Make 15,’ which I introduced on stage. I sometimes secretly launch it and play it when meetings get too boring. The second is the ‘Books’ app. I use this a lot too. It’s very convenient because I can open the screen and read just one paragraph during a 2-3 minute break while on the go. The third is ‘OcuClaw,’ which allows me to connect to an agent hosted on my office laptop. I use it to connect to and control the laptop that is always running in the office.
—What is needed to make it more accepted by society?
CEO Wang: In terms of design itself, it’s extremely important that it’s something that society will accept. It has to be a shape that looks beautiful when worn on the face. A bad example is Snap Spectacles. It may have been powerful in terms of functionality, but it wasn’t something people would wear on a daily basis. It was heavy and put pressure on the ears. You really have to consider that point in the design.
Furthermore, we must pay close attention to data privacy. To date, we have not included recording or audio storage functions, and naturally, we do not include cameras. This is one of our most important beliefs, at least at present, that cameras should not be placed on people’s faces. This may change in the future, perhaps in five years, if legal regulations and social protections regarding facial cameras are in place, but based on the current social situation, we believe that including cameras is not the right decision.
If a product is beautiful, comfortable, and respects privacy, people will wear it with pride. That’s exactly what’s happening with the Even G2; people wear it proudly and show it off to those around them. This is different from the Meta Ray-Ban.
Wearers of camera-equipped glasses often insist they’re just ordinary glasses, fearing that others will notice they’re filming. However, our users proudly share, “These are Even glasses, and they’re for supporting myself.” Even if asked by others, “Are you filming?”, users can reply, “No, there’s no camera.” We want to prevent people from thinking that smart glasses are cameras for surreptitious filming, or devices for secretly filming others. We will continue to fight against that image.
—Investments have expanded, and you’ve become a unicorn company. Will this change how you compete with other companies going forward?
CEO Wang: Achieving unicorn status is a major milestone for us, but it’s not the end. It’s just the beginning. It means we’ve gained more resources and can compete on a bigger stage, but it also means we’ll face more challenges ahead. We’re happy that our past achievements have been recognized, but what’s truly important is that we’ve earned the trust to build an even bigger future.
We are very confident about the possibility of competitors entering the market in the future. As I mentioned earlier, we don’t intend to remain just a niche brand. We aim to become a leading brand in the smart glasses sector. This funding round has given us the resources to forge ahead on that path.
—What are your thoughts on the possibility of incorporating a camera?
CEO Wang: We recognize that incorporating cameras will greatly assist AI capabilities, providing it with visual signals and enabling it to understand more context, potentially making it more useful. However, there are various approaches to that future, not just integrating them into the glasses, but also separating them and making them detachable accessories when not in use. We also hope that by the time we reach that stage, there will be clear regulations on how society should view cameras on the face. We want to take that into consideration.
—Many people are curious about how long the G3 development will take. When will it be released?
CEO Wang: Actually, we started R&D on G3 much earlier, long before we launched G2. That’s because we believe G3 will be a huge, massive step for the company. G1 was a product to prove that the form factor works.
We defined the shape, and it actually worked. G2 is a product that refines that same form factor and makes the experience more sophisticated. And G3 will be another huge leap forward for the company.
We have a deeper understanding of the industry and more resources available now than when we developed G1 and G2. When we developed G1, our entire team consisted of only about 20-30 people, and we worked on it in a basement. When we developed G2, we had 70-80 people. And now, the G3 development team is 300-400 people. You can expect G3 to be a truly, truly amazing product, but the release is not imminent. It will definitely not be released this year. I can’t even say exactly when next year it will be, but it’s still a long way off. However, we aim to deliver the best experience and redefine this product category.