A Year After Zuckerberg Declared the Death of Smartphones; Was He Right?
A Year After Zuckerberg Declared the Death of Smartphones; Was He Right?
In 2024, Mark Zuckerberg made a bold claim: smartphones are dying, and AR smart glasses will replace them. He wasn’t just predicting the future, Meta had already poured billions into projects like Orion and Ray-Ban Meta glasses, betting everything on augmented reality (AR).
Now, a year later, we have to ask: Was he right? And more importantly, are we even ready for this?
The Promise vs. The Reality
AR was supposed to free us from screens, making digital interactions effortless; texts, calls, maps, work tasks, all appearing right before our eyes. But here’s the thing: most of us are still glued to our phones.
Why?
- Smart glasses are expensive and impractical for daily use.
- Battery life and privacy concerns are huge roadblocks.
- People aren’t ready to wear tech on their faces 24/7.
Yet, companies are doubling down. Apple’s Vision Pro, Google’s next-gen AR, and Meta’s relentless push suggest one thing: like it or not, this change is coming.
A New Digital Divide?
This shift isn’t just about tech; it’s about power, control, and who gets left behind.
For businesses:
AR promises new ways to work, advertise, and connect. But will small businesses afford to keep up?
For individuals:
Will wearing AR glasses become the new social norm, or will it create a divide between those who embrace it and those who don’t?
For privacy:
If smartphones already track us, what happens when cameras and AI are literally on our faces at all times?
The Big Question: Are We Ready to Give Up Phones?
Let’s be real, smartphones didn’t just replace landlines overnight, and AR won’t kill phones instantly. But what if, in five years, using a phone feels as outdated as carrying a flip phone today?
Would you embrace a world where you never “check” your phone because everything is just there, in your vision?
Or does this sound like the next step toward losing control over our own reality?
What’s your take? Is AR the future or just another tech illusion?
#TheTechDivide #AR #AI #technology
