{"id":5213,"date":"2026-09-24T00:43:47","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T00:43:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vaultinsider.top\/?p=5213"},"modified":"2026-09-24T00:43:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T00:43:47","slug":"how-meta-took-the-lead-in-the-race-for-the-post-smartphone-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vaultinsider.top\/?p=5213","title":{"rendered":"How Meta took the lead in the race for the post-smartphone world"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

There are moments when you experience emerging tech for the first time, and it feels genuinely different. That\u2019s the case the first time you put on a pair of Meta\u2019s most advanced smart glasses, which project a high-resolution digital box inside the right lens and allow you\u2014with the help of a smart wristband\u2014to control objects on the screen by moving your fingers. Tap your pointer finger and thumb together, and an app opens. Say, \u201cHey, Meta,\u201d and you\u2019re suddenly chatting with an AI bot.<\/p>\n

\n

This, as Meta sees it, is how most of us will eventually use AI. The company recently took Fortune inside a private demo room at its Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters to show off its growing family of smart glasses. The collection included the flagship Ray-Ban Wayfarer camera-enabled glasses, with an updated nine-hour battery life; the Ray-Bans with the lens display and \u201cneural\u201d wristband; new audio-only smart glasses that ditch the built-in camera; new styles including Aviator frames; and prototypes like the Orion augmented reality glasses.<\/p>\n

Few companies have managed to crack the code for AI-enabled wearables\u2014and specifically glasses\u2014as Meta has. A strategic partnership with Ray-Ban parent EssilorLuxottica has played a major part, and despite widespread privacy concerns, Meta\u2019s glasses are the most popular on the market.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a relatively small market, but one the tech industry is taking very seriously. Silicon Valley\u2019s elite companies are racing to create hardware in new, AI-friendly \u201cform factors,\u201d betting that there are better ways for consumers to interact with AI\u2014whether that\u2019s through smart glasses or some yet-to-be-invented gadget. Leading AI labs such as OpenAI and, reportedly, Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX, are hard at work developing new devices. Musk disputes the report. Numerous smaller startups and industry giants like Apple are also working on new hardware.<\/p>\n

At a time when the race to build the best frontier models is center stage, the competition to establish the next hardware platform is shaping up to be just as important. At stake is control over how billions of people access AI, regardless of whose bots are the smartest.<\/p>\n

Meta\u2019s lead<\/h2>\n

Meta is a case in point. Its AI models generally lag those of rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic. But Meta stands above all in AI-enabled glasses, having grown its sales of smart glasses threefold last year; EssilorLuxottica says it sold 7 million pairs of AI-enabled glasses in 2025.<\/p>\n

Alex Himel, Meta\u2019s vice president of wearables, credits the company\u2019s early bet on the category and its decision to prioritize fashion. Customers use the smart features on the glasses only about 10% of the time, he said, so it\u2019s critical that people crave the glasses for their look and weight. EssilorLuxottica held Meta to 50 grams or below for most glasses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re able to keep adding this stuff into something that you\u2019re already wearing for other reasons,\u201d Himel said of the tech features.<\/p>\n

One new capability he\u2019s excited about is agentic AI powered by Meta\u2019s latest Muse Spark model, allowing the glasses to execute multistep routines like managing personal schedules and scanning through emails.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/div>
Meta\u2019s \u201cNeural\u201d wristband.<\/figcaption>

WINNI WINTERMEYER for Fortune<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cAs the AI gets better, you want something that\u2019s always with you, can see what you see, hear what you hear,\u201d Himel said.<\/p>\n

A new hologram feature scans your face and records your expressions, producing a 3D animated simulacrum of your visage. When you\u2019re wearing the glasses and call a friend via Meta-owned WhatsApp, your hologram appears on their screen\u2014and their hologram, if they have one, appears in your glasses. It\u2019s impressive, but also a bit jarring: My hologram looked like a deepfake version of me.<\/p>\n

Meta on Wednesday also announced a new pair of virtual reality glasses that it says weigh only 100 grams and have capabilities for cinema display, gaming, spacial computing, and other features. The glasses, which the company says will ship in the spring, will cost $1,299.<\/p>\n

There are still rough edges. The glasses didn\u2019t always respond to thumb swipes and sometimes lagged after voice commands. Meta\u2019s AI also occasionally struggled to identify objects cleanly, such as when it attempted to calculate the number of calories in a trayful of food. The company pointed out that there is a natural learning curve and that the tech usually works for most people without issue.<\/p>\n

Meta\u2019s Ray-Ban Display glasses start at $799, while its third-generation flagship camera-enabled Ray-Bans cost $449. The new audio-only glasses start at $349 and are shipping in two styles: The Ray-Ban Clubmaster and Burbank.<\/p>\n

The privacy problem<\/h2>\n

The bigger concern surrounding this tech, however, is privacy. Already, Meta has had to respond to some users disabling the glasses\u2019 LED light that turns on to alert people nearby that the video camera is recording. The company recently created a policy to deactivate recording if the LED has been tampered with, and Meta will delete the accounts of anyone who uses a modified device and posts harassing content.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/div>
The Capri, one of Meta\u2019s new style of glasses.<\/figcaption>

WINNI WINTERMEYER for Fortune<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Stopping depraved users is only part of the challenge. The coolest features of AI devices come from AI\u2019s ability to make sense of the world around you, operating not from on-screen data alone. That creates an inherent tension with norms around privacy and personal space.<\/p>\n

Recently announced Apple Watch features like Siri Recap, which listens to a user\u2019s conversations and provides a \u201chigh-level\u201d AI-generated summary, have already raised concerns about whether the audio is being captured with proper consent. OpenAI\u2019s forthcoming device, rumored to be a portable smart speaker, could encounter similar eavesdropping concerns.<\/p>\n

So far, Meta\u2019s famously poor privacy track record in social media has not prevented it from taking the lead in the nascent smart glasses category. But as the market grows, sensitivity around privacy is almost certain to become a bigger factor.<\/p>\n

Meta is already facing multiple proposed class-action lawsuits related to its smart glasses, including one alleging that it sent some footage captured by the glasses, including highly personal material, to third-party human reviewers for annotation and AI development. Meta disputes the allegations.<\/p>\n

Competitors, well aware of Meta\u2019s reputation, are trying to win by making privacy central to their designs. AI startup Even Realities, which ditches audio or camera functions and focuses on text-only displays, began selling its smart glasses in 2024. Taiwan-based HTC Corp.\u2019s Vive Eagle glasses tout a feature that turns off recording if anyone\u2014not just the user\u2014says, \u201cStop recording.\u201d<\/p>\n

For its part, Meta is introducing private, isolated cloud \u201cdevices\u201d to secure sensitive user data such as health information, and making some data processed through the glasses unreadable, even to the company.<\/p>\n

Back at Meta HQ, Himel showed off one of the company\u2019s latest models: its first-ever audio-only smart glasses. Himel said removing the camera wasn\u2019t a reaction to any recent events, but a product two years in the making. By eliminating the camera, he noted, the glasses are 10 grams lighter, and battery life is longer.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/div>
Close up of Meta\u2019s flagship Ray-Ban glasses, showing one of two built-in cameras.<\/figcaption>

WINNI WINTERMEYER for Fortune<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Don\u2019t throw your phone out yet<\/h2>\n

At the other end of the spectrum, social media company Snap\u2019s latest smart glasses are designed to be a stand-alone computer on your face. The bulky, $2,195 augmented reality Specs feature onboard processing that, the company says, eliminates the need for a phone.<\/p>\n

While the glasses\u2019 aesthetics have been panned by some reviewers\u2014a \u201cCybertruck for your face,\u201d joked one social media commenter\u2014Snap executive Russell Patton said the glasses are designed to create a distinct computing ecosystem rather than serve as an accessory to a phone.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a bold bet that gets to another big question about AI-centric devices. Glasses are a natural form factor, given that about two-thirds of U.S. adults already wear corrective lenses. But some industry insiders believe glasses are just one of many devices that will leverage AI, and that they will coexist with smartphones for some time.<\/p>\n

Because batteries in wearable devices are tiny, and 5G cellular chips can instantly cut a wearable\u2019s battery life by half, analysts expect the devices to remain tethered to a phone for at least the next five to 10 years.<\/p>\n

Ziad Asghar, Qualcomm\u2019s senior vice president of wearables, believes AI use is likely to be experienced through a myriad of devices.<\/p>\n

OpenAI\u2019s first device is reported to be a portable, screen-free, doughnut-shaped object, and the company promises several other products. In June, Microsoft introduced a wearable badge-like device\u2014despite the high-profile failure of startup Humane\u2019s earlier attempt at the form factor\u2014and a cube-like device with a voice-activated screen. Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly developing glasses and camera-equipped AirPods.<\/p>\n

While the primary input for the personal computer is the keyboard and mouse, and smartphones have a touch screen and camera, Asghar said the next generation of AI-powered devices will need to gather a much broader variety of information.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat context is what allows us to personalize AI agentic experiences,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, choosing the right device, or devices, in a post-smartphone world could be a matter of individual style and preference\u2014not unlike shopping for glasses.<\/p>\n

This article appears in the October\/November 2026 issue of\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0Fortune\u00a0with the headline \u201cHow Meta is winning the race for the post-smartphone world.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

#Meta #lead #race #postsmartphone #world<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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