Mark Zuckerberg Unveils What He Calls the ‘Next Big Thing’ After Smartphones

Mark Zuckerberg recently shared his belief that smartphones are on their way out as the dominant personal tech device. He suggested that smart glasses could soon become the go-to wearable for everyday use.

Zuckerberg has been championing smart glasses for years, highlighting their hands-free features powered by AI. These include the ability to take photos, make calls, translate languages in real time, and provide instant information about the user’s surroundings. “The future of computing is about being more natural, more integrated into daily life, and more social,” he explained. “You want to be able to interact with people around you seamlessly, and I think that’s going to define the next major platform after smartphones.”

At a recent company event, he expanded on this idea, calling smart glasses the next major step forward in tech. “There are already one to two billion people who wear glasses every day,” he said. “Much like the shift to smartphones, I think many of those people will eventually upgrade to smart glasses over the next decade. And even those who don’t wear glasses today may start to.”

He pointed out that while smartphones have brought significant progress, the innovation around them has slowed. “Phones have allowed almost everyone in the world to connect, which is amazing,” he said. “But the companies behind them haven’t introduced anything revolutionary in a long time. It feels like the industry has stalled since the original breakthroughs.”

Meta first launched a line of smart glasses in collaboration with Ray-Ban in 2021, which saw moderate success. These early models included a five-megapixel camera, speakers, and microphones, just a glimpse of what the company has planned.

Backing up its long-term vision, Meta invested $3.5 billion in a major eyewear manufacturer to further develop the technology. One of the upcoming projects, Supernova 2, targets athletes and cyclists and draws inspiration from high-performance sports eyewear. Another, Hypernova, will include a small built-in screen for viewing notifications and messages.

Meanwhile, other major tech companies are also racing to develop AI-powered smart glasses, signaling a shift across the industry.

Even with the excitement around this emerging space, Zuckerberg emphasized the importance of staying grounded. “You’re never as good as people say when things are going great, and you’re never as bad as they say when things are tough,” he reflected.