Video: Mark Zuckerberg says that cell phones will die, but this is an alternative
The tech industry has been trying to replace smartphones since they first hit the consumer market. Smartwatches were the first contenders in 2012, promising to combine phone functionality in a more discreet, wearable form factor. Twelve years later, smartwatches are simply sporty accessories that complement, but don’t replace, cell phones.
According to a user post on X, Mark Zuckerberg predicts that smart glasses will be the next big computing platform. The Meta CEO compares this shift to what’s currently happening between computers and mobile phones: we keep pulling our phones out of our pockets even when our PCs are in front of us, out of sheer convenience and habit.
RayBan Stories, launched two years ago, is Meta’s first serious attempt at this market. Developed in collaboration with the eyewear brand, they include a five-megapixel camera, two speakers, and three microphones. A device that, for now, is far from being able to replace the capabilities of a current mobile phone.
It’s not the only company looking to take down smartphones. OpenAI is developing an AI-powered device as a smartphone replacement, while other manufacturers showed off similar alternatives at CES, all betting on AI.
🚨 Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg predicts smart glasses will replace phones by 2030
" Smart glasses are going to become the next major computing platform.
They will gradually replace phones by 2030, much like mobile devices surpassed computers without fully replacing them " pic.twitter.com/81qrSndgCP
— Haider. (@slow_developer) September 29, 2024
Zuckerberg says that by 2030, we’ll see our smartphones spending more time in our pockets than out of them. His prediction, while users may be able to perform some tasks better on their phones, is based on the fact that the convenience of glasses will eventually prevail in everyday use.
Apple’s entry into the market with its Vision Pro has intensified the race to dominate the future of personal computing. However, Zuckerberg’s comments sound more like business strategy than objective analysis: Meta needs to position itself in this emerging sector after its stumbles in the metaverse.