Image Source: The Independent
Key highlights
In a twist for the technology sector, Mark Zuckerberg—long hailed for his role in defining social media—has his sights set on making the smartphone a thing of the past. As Meta launches sophisticated smart glasses and wearable AI products, Zuckerberg is taking on an industry that has been based on handheld screens for more than a decade, fuelling excitement and trepidation among Silicon Valley competitors.
The Emergence of Smart Glasses: Redefining Daily Tech
Meta plans to release six new AI-driven wearables in 2025, such as enhanced Ray-Ban Meta glasses, Oakley-branded models for athletes, and a high-end heads-up display variant. The wearables are meant to fit into everyday life, while providing features such as voice-activated information, simultaneous translation, hands-free phone calls, and smart overlays of the physical world.
Zuckerberg envisions that within ten years, glasses—not phones—will be the prevailing personal technology, and they will enable users to message, navigate, and socialize without ever glance down at a screen. Meta's Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses have already surpassed two million units sold since launching in October 2023, with usage tripling over the last year and robust demand for AI capabilities.
Industry Reckoning: Panic, Imitation, and Resistance
This vision has set off reactions across the industry: as Meta places its big bet on wearable AR, other tech leaders are rushing to keep up or forging their own paths. Elon Musk, for instance, is pursuing brain-computer interfaces with Neuralink, pushing for even more intimate human-machine connection.
Apple's Tim Cook remains cautious, continuing to champion the smartphone era and holding off on revolutionary leaps until consumer acceptance and infrastructure are proven at scale.
Challenges and the Way Forward Zuckerberg's thrust is confronted with obstacles—public doubt regarding privacy, exorbitant production expenses, and the requirement for revolutionary shifts in consumer behavior and digital environments.
However, with Meta pouring money into giant AI supercluster data centers and deepening its alliance with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica, the business is setting itself up to dominate a post-phone era.
If Zuckerberg has his way, the future of personal technology will arrive not in hands, but directly in front of our faces. The age of the smartphone as our digital hub might make way sooner than later for a different model—one founded on lenses, levels, and always-on artificial intelligence.
Sources: Rude Baguette, Mixed News, Marca, Economic Times
Advertisement
Advertisement
