It's not super clear from the article, but it kinda feels like Google isn't intending to do more hardware. It seems like Android XR is a platform to get other companies to take on that risk.

It feels like Google wants there to be an answer to Apple Vision Pro, still isn't completely sold on the idea, but wants someone else to build it using Android. I'm not sure what other Android-using company would want to take that on, though. This feels a little risky even for Samsung; I'm curious what their "Project Moohan" device will look like... will it be crazy expensive and high-tech like AVP, or will it be something much more lightweight? The photos out there seem to suggest something lower-end than AVP, but it's hard to tell.

According to long standing rumors, the Samsung headset is supposed to have micro-OLED screens just like the AVP, that alone is likely to push the price to a minimum of $2000 to $2500.

> I'm not sure what other Android-using company would want to take that on, though.

Meta uses Android for the Quest.

Will Meta adopt Android XR instead of maintaining their own Android fork? Possibly, possibly not. But they are definitely an Android-using company willing to take on the Apple Vision Pro seeing as they are already, you know, doing that.

Meta just announced Horizon OS (without saying what it will change) and the Quest/Horizon OS is both pretty good technically but also infuriatingly artificially limited. It really doesn’t looks like Meta is going to give up control in this platform anytime soon.

Yeah they're actually licensing horizon OS out to other parties. No way they're giving up that control. And I wouldn't either tbh. Google is going to kill this sooner rather than later anyway.