In July, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a bold statement during the social media giant's earnings call. He told analysts that in the future, people who don't use smart glasses could face a "significant cognitive disadvantage" compared to those who adopt the technology.

This week, Meta will outline the core of its future vision at the Connect conference, where the tech giant will unveil its next development plans and new products. Reports suggest that following the relative success of its Ray-Ban smart glasses, Meta will introduce new AI-powered smart glasses. The previous Ray-Ban model could analyze the wearer's environment and answer questions related to surrounding scenes.

Among Meta's early attempts at betting on disruptive technologies, most have performed moderately, but the smart glasses business stands out as a bright spot. In the early 21st century, Meta missed the smartphone wave; in 2021, the company attempted to rebrand around the "metaverse" but failed to reshape the internet landscape as Zuckerberg had hoped.

However, Meta's smart glasses have gradually gained consumer acceptance. EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban's parent company, reported in July that Meta smart glasses-related revenue increased by more than triple year-over-year. Market research data also shows that Meta is currently the undisputed leader in the smart glasses sector.

In the short term, smart glasses may not become as ubiquitous as smartphones, but they could provide Meta with direct consumer access and potentially reduce dependence on smartphones. This is crucial because Meta is working to develop "personal super intelligence" — a vague concept Zuckerberg uses to describe AI that "deeply understands users, comprehends their goals, and helps them achieve those goals."

Currently, Meta faces increasing pressure as tech giants including Samsung, Google, and Meta's long-time social media rival Snap all plan to launch new smart glasses. According to The Information, Amazon is also developing new augmented reality glasses (AR technology overlays computer images onto real environments).

**Meta's Push into AI Glasses**

In 2021, Meta partnered with Ray-Ban to launch "Ray-Ban Stories" smart glasses, primarily designed for hands-free photo and video capture. However, Meta wasn't the first company to explore functions like "taking photos, making calls, and listening to music without pulling out a phone."

Besides Snap and Amazon, numerous smaller tech companies have launched smart glasses with similar capabilities. Google entered the market as early as 2013 with "Google Glass," but the device failed to gain consumer favor due to high prices, unappealing design, limited functionality, and short battery life.

Today, tech giants believe the new generation of smart glasses will be "different." Key technologies supporting glasses operation — such as processors, batteries, and cameras — have achieved smaller, lighter designs at costs far below Google Glass.

However, AI advancement is the core driver behind new smart glasses development. Virtual assistants that can answer questions about users' surroundings in near real-time significantly enhance smart glasses' practicality. For example, users wearing Meta smart glasses can directly ask "Is this pepper spicy?" when seeing a chili pepper, or have Meta's AI assistant translate signs into other languages.

Meta is reportedly developing new smart glasses featuring displays for viewing apps and notifications, along with a wristband for gesture control. Meta will likely unveil these glasses at the Connect conference, having previously stated the event will focus on "latest innovations in AI glasses" and other content. Last year, Meta released a prototype of its "Orion" augmented reality glasses.

Meta declined to comment on potential plans for announcing new glasses at this week's conference.

Current Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses lack display functionality in their lenses, requiring wearers to rely on audio feedback or Meta's phone app for information. This puts them at a disadvantage compared to upcoming glasses from companies like Google, which will provide both voice responses and information displays.

Guillaume Chanson, analyst at market research firm Counterpoint Research, noted: "This will be another challenge for Meta. For instance, if you want to replace smartphones, can you really do it without any visual feedback?"

**Why Meta Values Smart Glasses So Highly**

The AI boom has triggered an industry-wide "race to invest more," with companies fearing they'll fall behind in this potential "next big trend."

Chanson stated: "Everyone is exploring what the next-generation device after smartphones will be."

The success of Apple AirPods and other wireless earphones may provide strong evidence for smart glasses development. While the two device categories are fundamentally different, they overlap in some functions — such as making calls and interacting with digital assistants without pulling out phones.

Melissa Otto, research director at investment research firm S&P Global Visible Alpha, said: "Looking ahead, smart glasses might evolve into the 'next-generation AirPods.'"

Meta's smart glasses journey hasn't been smooth sailing. Despite rapid growth in smart glasses demand (ABI Research predicts global smart glasses shipments will increase from 3.3 million units in 2024 to 13 million units in 2026), the product remains a niche category. Global smartphone shipments can reach hundreds of millions of units in just one quarter, with no current indication that smart glasses will achieve such widespread adoption in the future.

Reality Labs, Meta's division responsible for AI glasses and Quest virtual reality headsets, reported operating losses of $4.5 billion in Q2 FY2025; in comparison, Meta's app business generated revenue of $58.3 billion during the same period.

So what's Meta's real motivation for pursuing smart glasses? While smart glasses haven't yet become a revenue pillar, they could pave Meta's path toward "reducing dependence on hardware manufacturers like Apple and Google" — since Meta's apps previously relied on these manufacturers' devices for distribution.

Meta has previously disagreed with Apple over App Store policies, with Zuckerberg repeatedly criticizing Apple's monopoly position in the App Store sector.

In 2022, Zuckerberg stated at The New York Times DealBook Summit: "Apple's App Store is the only platform where a single company controls 'which apps can enter devices.'"

If smart glasses become people's primary devices for video calling and browsing social media feeds in the future, Meta could gain more autonomous control over user experience by selling its own glasses products.

Otto illustrated: "Now I use my iPhone to log into Facebook, Instagram, Reels, and Threads, not using laptops or smart glasses, completely relying on phones."