Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, envisions a future where smart glasses with holographic displays gradually replace mobile phones as the primary communication and computing device for people.
In a recent interview with YouTuber Kane “Kalloway” Sutter, Zuckerberg discussed various topics, including artificial intelligence and open source technology. When asked about Meta’s most exciting future product, Zuckerberg enthusiastically described a set of glasses equipped with cameras, microphones, speakers, and a full field-of-view (FOV) holographic display.
Critics in the tech and advertising industries have often mocked Meta and Zuckerberg for transitioning from "Facebook," the well-known social media platform, to "Meta," a company focused on developing the metaverse. Despite this, Zuckerberg remains optimistic about the potential of smart glasses, suggesting that they could signal the beginning of the end for smartphones. He compared this transition to how smartphones didn’t entirely replace desktop or laptop computers but became a dominant device in people's lives. With the right hardware and software, he believes smart glasses could be practical enough for most people to keep their phones in their pockets most of the time.
Meta has three products in development to advance this technology. The first is a “displayless” glasses product featuring voice AI, similar to the existing Ray-Ban Meta glasses. The second is a pair with a limited heads-up display without full holography. The third is a “premium version” featuring a full field-of-view holographic display.
Zuckerberg aims to create a bridge between the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which lack a display, and the bulkier headsets designed for virtual reality (VR) rather than augmented/mixed reality (A/MR). He envisions that glasses with a full FOV holographic display will enable real-time communications, informational overlays, and heads-up displays akin to those in video games or military equipment. These glasses, he insists, will look unmistakably like regular glasses and not like headsets.
Additionally, Zuckerberg discussed the appeal of obtaining information through glasses rather than constantly glancing at smartphones. He and host Kalloway described how frequently checking smartphones can be disengaging and disruptive, a habit that Kalloway said “shatters your presence.”
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