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On June 29, Rokid, the leading smart glasses manufacturer by shipment volume, introduced YodaOS, claiming it to be the world’s first AI-native operating system specifically designed for smart glasses. The company believes this development marks a pivotal moment, akin to the “iPhone moment” in the sector.
The founder and CEO described the current landscape as reminiscent of the BlackBerry era prior to Apple’s revolutionary device, emphasizing that the industry feels like it’s on the cusp of a major transformation.
Established in 2014 with headquarters in Hangzhou, the company sees future competition in smart glasses shifting from hardware specifications to software ecosystems and platform services.
Despite leading sales on major Chinese e-commerce platforms during this year’s 618 shopping festival, the CEO stressed that retention and user engagement are more crucial for sustainable growth than just shipment numbers. He pointed out that being an early market leader doesn’t guarantee longevity, citing BlackBerry’s decline despite its dominance in business phones.
YodaOS, which was showcased during a recent Open Day, is tailored for smart glasses. Its goal is to minimize users’ dependence on smartphones by supporting voice commands and other on-device interaction methods.
Research around the shopping festival revealed that most first-time buyers are interested in practical applications rather than purely experimenting with new hardware. Popular use cases include assisting children with homework and keeping track of World Cup matches. The CEO noted, “Consumers aren’t buying these devices just for the device itself—they’re after specific functionalities. We’ve entered that era.”
The company continues to hold developer competitions with prize money but recognizes that reaching an installed base of over two million consumer devices is essential for creating a sustainable developer ecosystem. Once achieved, the plan involves rolling out a token-based revenue-sharing model where AI interaction costs are billed in tokens and shared with developers.
According to Counterpoint Research, global shipments of AR glasses more than doubled in the first quarter, with Rokid ranking first worldwide in waveguide AR glasses—a type of see-through smart glasses that project digital images into the user’s visual field.
A Chinese market analysis indicated that retail sales of AR glasses nearly doubled in May compared to the previous year, with Rokid leading sales in both units and revenue.
Internationally, Japan has become a significant market for Rokid’s expansion. In May, the company raised roughly USD 4 million via the Japanese crowdfunding platform Makuake, setting a record across all product categories for funding raised.
The CEO attributed this success to Rokid’s open ecosystem approach, allowing users to easily switch between AI models like ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, and Alibaba Cloud’s Qwen, rather than being locked into a single platform.
“Many Japanese consumers aren’t interested in a device that only supports Meta AI—they want access to the best options available,” he explained.
He also expressed concerns about the broader AI ecosystem, suggesting that China’s industry is becoming increasingly open, while the US is leaning towards platform lock-in. “It claims to be OpenAI, but it’s actually becoming less open,” he remarked.
The head of the company’s ecosystem division mentioned that the platform has integrated with major services such as WeChat, Douyin, Alipay, JD.com, Alibaba Cloud, Google Cloud, and Amazon Web Services, covering payments, livestreaming, and cloud computing. An overseas AI agent store is scheduled to launch on July 10.
“Openness is fundamental to any platform,” he emphasized. “Without it, building a rich and flexible ecosystem is impossible.”
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