“Alibaba starts selling Quark AI glasses in China, enters global wearables race”
What’s
new: Alibaba goes full AI-wearables
- Alibaba has
officially begun selling Quark AI glasses in China. The starting price is ¥1,899
(≈ US $268).
- The Quark glasses
are powered by Alibaba’s own AI — the Qwen model — and come integrated
with Alibaba’s ecosystem: apps like Alipay and Taobao.
- Unlike bulky VR headsets, Quark glasses are styled like regular eyewear — a black-frame, sleek design meant for everyday use.
What they can do: Features & AI abilities
According
to product info:
- Real-time
translation (useful for traveling or multilingual interactions)
- Price recognition —
for example, detect and display price info when looking at a product
(especially useful when shopping with Taobao/Alipay)
- Object recognition,
camera + possibly video/photo capture (some reviews mention built-in
camera + AI recognition)
- Hands-free features: could support calls, music streaming, voice interaction via AI assistant, leveraging Alibaba ecosystem like payments/navigation.
What this means generally for Wearables &
AI
- AI-powered wearables
(glasses, AR/VR headsets) are evolving fast — we’re moving closer to
“always-on AI assistants” embedded in everyday devices, beyond phones or
laptops.
- For consumers:
Potentially smarter, more convenient devices — e.g. translation on-the-go,
shopping with AR/AI-driven price comparison, seamless AI-assistant support
without carrying a phone.
- For tech industry: A
growing battleground — whoever combines hardware design + AI + ecosystem
(payments, services, apps) effectively could define the next generation of
“personal computing.”
