{
  "id": 9448501,
  "title": "How Meta took the lead in the race for the post-smartphone world",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/how-meta-took-the-lead-in-the-race-for-the-post-smartphone-world",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/09/23/meta-ai-smart-glasses-privacy-wearables-hardware-race-openai-apple-snap/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In an emerging technology landscape, Meta has made significant strides with its advanced smart glasses, projecting high-resolution digital displays inside their lenses to control objects using finger movements. These glasses can open apps, initiate voice assistants, and even engage in AI conversations. Recently, Meta showcased its growing line of smart glasses at a private demo room in Menlo Park, California, which includes the flagship Ray-Ban Wayfarer camera-enabled glasses, audio-only smart glasses, and prototypes like the Orion augmented reality glasses.\n\nMeta's success in AI-enabled wearables can be attributed to its strategic partnership with Ray-Ban parent EssilorLuxottica, which has led to a threefold increase in smart glasses sales last year. Meta's vice president of wearables, Alex Himel, attributes the company's lead in this category to its early bet on the technology and its focus on fashion. However, customers only use the smart features on the glasses about 10% of the time, so it's crucial that people desire the glasses for their look and weight.\n\nOne exciting new capability is agentic AI powered by Meta's Muse Spark model, enabling the glasses to perform multistep routines like managing personal schedules and scanning through emails. Meta's \"Neural\" wristband also adds to the tech features, allowing for a connected experience across devices. The company recently announced a new pair of virtual reality glasses weighing just 100 grams, which will ship in the spring for $1,299. The glasses are already facing challenges, such as occasional lag and object identification issues.\n\nWhile the privacy concerns surrounding this technology are significant, Meta has faced criticism for its historically poor privacy track record. However, Meta's lead in the smart glasses category is difficult to ignore, and as the market grows, privacy will likely become an increasingly important factor to consider.",
  "summary": "A head start in smart glasses, a powerful Ray-Ban partnership, and a fashion-first strategy have put Meta ahead—despite persistent privacy concerns.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}