For Meta, smart glasses are the future of smartphones

Meta (Facebook, Instagram) presented its first prototype of augmented reality and artificial intelligence (AI) glasses on Wednesday, hoping to ultimately create a new computing platform for consumers, after personal computers and mobile phones.

Called “Orion,” these glasses are equipped with a camera, headphones and a voice-controlled AI assistant, like the connected Ray-Ban Metas, which have been on the market for several years.

But they also have tiny projectors to display videos, screens or even people in the form of holograms – all without wearing a headset that isolates the user.

“It’s like a time machine,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO. “They’re a glimpse into the future that I think is going to be really exciting.”

The billionaire concluded his annual presentation of the group’s new products with this new device, the only real surprise of the event in Menlo Park (California), the company’s headquarters.

He recounted how he formed a team ten years ago to make wireless, lightweight glasses (less than 100 grams) capable of projecting images that were sharp, bright and large enough to adapt to all uses and environments, without preventing visual contact with people physically present.

To interact with the various functions, the user will use voice and manual gestures, but also, potentially, thoughts, thanks to sensors on a bracelet.

“We need a device that can send a signal from the brain,” the executive stressed. “This is the first device powered by our neural interface on the wrist.”

Facebook’s founder changed the social media giant’s name to “Meta” in late 2021, signaling a pivot toward the metaverse, his vision of the future of the internet and computing, where real and virtual worlds would blend via augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) devices.

Since then, Quest VR headsets have followed one after the other, and Ray-Ban smart glasses have gained AI capabilities, but the metaverse has not (yet) won over the general public and is exasperating investors, as Meta’s Reality Labs branch is losing several billion dollars every quarter.

Unlike headsets, which remain bulky, goggles have a chance of widespread adoption, says Jeremy Goldman of eMarkerter.

Orion “represents Meta’s bet on a post-smartphone world,” the analyst comments.

According to him, everything will depend on the ability of the glasses to simplify the daily lives of users, and also on their price.

“If Meta plays its cards right, especially with the integration of real-time AI, these glasses could become much more than just a flashy gadget,” he added.

July/Mon