The Death of the iPhone: Are Smart Glasses the Future or a Pipe Dream?
Mark Zuckerberg’s $30 billion bet on Reality Labs is finally starting to yield some tangible results. This week, Meta unveiled its protoype for the Orion smart glasses, a device that, in theory, could eventually replace the iPhone.
Orion is a mouthful of techno-jazz, combining augmented reality (AR), eye and hand tracking, generative AI, and a gesture-detecting wristband in a single package. While it’s certainly impressive-sounding, one can’t help but wonder if Mark Zuckerberg has lost his grasp on reality (pun intended).
The first thing one notices about Orion is the price tag – a snazzy $10,000. Oh, yes, and the fact it won’t be available in stores anytime soon. Which raises the question: Can Meta really convince people that this behemoth of innovation is worth sacrificing their modest savings for?
After all, smart glasses need to be a lot closer to perfect to replace people’s trusty iPhones and their tried-and-true operating systems. And those AR windows obstructing user views? Let’s say it’s more of an issue than a minor imperfection. Can Meta ever make Orion a seamless integration into daily life? Don’t count on it at this point.
Facebook’s (or Meta?) long history of failed, or at the very best, half-baked launches is a big red warning flag.
Snap did the same with its ‘Spectacles’… remember those? Yeah. The tech industry is quick to jump on the cool, new shiny thing wagon, but are we overestimating our ability to adapt to the next technological revolution? Will we one day look back at selfies taken with Ray-Bans and laugh, just like we do now at videos taken with Pokémon Go lures?
Is the push for smart glasses a Hail Mary for Meta against the rising Google and their (rumored) even more advanced smart glasses endeavors? Or will we instead see a sea change? Can we learn from lessons past and recognize that – despite the flashy tech bells and whistles – most people still rely on things that work (and relatively affordable)? Time will answer these questions.
Other Players in the Game Are Already Ahead
Meanwhile, Apple is said to have been working on its vision for AR glasses, along with Google. And rumors are swirling that Jony Ive’s LoveFrom LLC is cooking up something potentially revolutionary with OpenAI and the AI powerhouse. When you factor in the slew of other big tech hitters joining the party, a reality check (pun double-intended) is unavoidable.
Mark Zuckerberg does deserve credit, though; he’s not afraid of taking risks, and a chunk of those $300 billion in savings might lead to something… anything can happen. Meta’s (Ray-Ban) Ray-Ban smart glasses being the first baby step feels more like an experiment while Orion is just a concept…
Meta’s investment in technology seems to be paying dividends, but they still require refining. A lot goes into making an AR experience seamlessly integrated into our daily reality. Can we trust Silicon Valley’s "visionaires" to see us off into the bright, sunlit uplands of digital bliss? The jury may still be out on a whole lot.
