After Announcing the End Date for Smartphones, Mark Zuckerberg Is Stepping up the Pace on Their Replacements!

Following Mark Zuckerberg’s assertion that smart glasses will, in due time, take the place of mobile phones, the company is intensifying its commitment to turn this vision into reality. With a surge of new models and innovative augmented reality initiatives, Meta is advancing rapidly. Yet, will the world be prepared to comply?

Meta is not only enhancing its Ray-Ban Stories; it’s also venturing into new markets. Through the Supernova project, the company is creating various smart glasses designs aimed at diverse users.

The initial model, Supernova 2, is scheduled for release this year, drawing inspiration from Oakley’s Sphaera sports glasses. Tailored for cyclists and athletes, these glasses will feature a built-in camera, speakers, and AI-enhanced functionalities, all geared towards active individuals. For anyone seeking something more sophisticated, there’s Hypernova. This high-end model will incorporate a compact display into the right lens, able to show notifications, messages, and photo previews.

Although it isn’t complete augmented reality, this represents a significant advancement towards genuinely interactive glasses. The catch? A cost of about $1,000, significantly higher than the $300 basic Ray-Ban Stories. Although Supernova and Hypernova improve daily activities, Meta is simultaneously innovating in the field of augmented reality. The most ambitious ongoing project is Orion, a prototype unveiled last year that seeks to provide complete AR capabilities.

In contrast to smart glasses that only show notifications, Orion will necessitate a wrist-mounted control device and an external processing unit, resulting in a highly advanced system. What is the cost? An astonishing $10,000. Evidently not aimed at the mainstream audience, Orion is being marketed as a resource for developers, anticipated to debut by 2026.

Meta is progressing rapidly, but the significant question lingers: will consumers adopt smart glasses as their next essential gadget? Although the Ray-Ban Stories have achieved some success, persuading users to replace their smartphones with glasses poses a far greater challenge.

Cost, usability, and widespread acceptance will ultimately decide if Zuckerberg’s vision comes to fruition. If Meta is successful, we might be experiencing the dawn of the post-smartphone age—but if it falters, smart glasses could become merely another advanced experiment.