Related Articles
Meta Connect, the big developer event and hardware showcase from the company that runs Facebook and Instagram, is kicking off today. Meta is likely to show off its new VR and mixed-reality technology, put a shiny polish on its meandering metaverse ambitions, and delve into all the fresh ways it plans to squeeze artificial intelligence into every crevice of its devices and services.
The event takes place today, Wednesday September 25, starting at 10 am Pacific time. The keynote address, where most of the new stuff will be announced, will be livestreamed. The host for the event will be Meta CEO and newly-minted cool guy, Mark Zuckerberg. Zuck’s hourlong presentation will be followed by a developer-focused address at 11 am led by Meta CTO and Reality Labs chief Andrew Bosworth. You can watch the events on the Meta Connect website or on Meta’s YouTube channel after the event. And yes, you can also watch it in VR in Meta Horizon.
The focus of the event will likely be a fusion of Meta’s mixed-reality efforts and its AI ambitions across its product line. Like any tech event, there are bound to be surprises. Here are the big things to look out for.
Blurry MetaVision
The one thing Meta won’t likely be announcing is a very expensive VR headset. It’s a move informed by where the mixed-reality-device market is right now—and whether people actually want to spend big to buy in. Instead, rumors abound about a so-called Meta Quest 3S, a headset which could be a cheaper version of the Meta Quest 3 with lighter features.
Meta was briefly the bigwig in the AR/VR space 10 years ago when Meta (then Facebook) bought the VR company Oculus. Shortly thereafter, Facebook changed its name to Meta and sank $45 billion into its vision of a digital universe that most people just don’t seem to give much of a damn about. Workplaces aren’t using Meta’s Horizon Workrooms that much—we’re all still on Zoom—and despite the initial bouts of expensive corporate land grabs for digital real estate, users aren’t exactly eager to move into the metaverse.
Other companies have struggled to find their virtual footing. Apple released its first-mixed reality headset, the $3,500 Apple Vision Pro, in February. Since then, the product has been regarded as a rare misstep for the company, or at least very clearly a first-generation product not intended for the masses. The device didn’t sell very well and was widely criticized as being an expensive, heavy, and ultimately lonely experience. (Apple mentioned the Vision Pro only once, in passing, at its optimistic iPhone announcement event on September 9.)
Had the Vision Pro’s, well, vision panned out, Meta may have been more inclined to pursue the pricy premium category of VR headset. In August, The Information reported that Meta seems to have abandoned—or at least delayed—plans to reveal an update to its Oculus Quest Pro that would have gone into the ring against Apple’s Vision Pro. Bosworth, Meta’s CTO, responded to that news on Meta’s Threads platform and insisted the move is not that big of a deal, but rather a natural part of the company’s device iterations. Still, it is a move that makes sense in the aftermath of the Apple Vision Pro fizzling out.
Most PopularGearThe Top New Features Coming to Apple’s iOS 18 and iPadOS 18By Julian ChokkattuGearHow Do You Solve a Problem Like Polestar?By Carlton ReidGearEverything Apple Announced TodayBy Boone AshworthGearThe Best Hearing Aids We’ve Personally Tested and Vetted With an ExpertBy Christopher Null
Even right after Apple released its headset, Zuckerberg criticized the Vision Pro in contrast to the Meta Quest 3 and aimed to position his company’s headset as a cheaper, more accessible option. Easing away from the Pro model seems like the way forward for Meta as it aims to make its devices and services appeal to the most people possible.
Smarter Glasses
While full VR headsets may not be breaking the ground companies want them to, the lighter smart glasses category is having a moment. Snap just unveiled the newest iteration of its smart Spectacles, which are set to incorporate AI features.
Meta has also teased its first official set of augmented reality glasses, dubbed Meta Orion, that it may announce at its Connect event today. Bosworth has very humbly described this tech as “the most advanced thing that we’ve ever produced as a species.” So anticipate some more big, sweeping announcements on that front.
Meta is already leading the way in the smart glasses ecosystem. The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are now in their second iteration and are juiced up with Meta’s AI services. These slick shades do a lot of things right, including having straightforward voice-powered features that work fairly well and an aesthetic that, unlike the smart glasses before it, actually look nice. (Ray-Ban should probably get most of the credit for that fashion sense, not the guy who just discovered chain necklaces.) The Ray-Ban Metas aren’t perfect, but they’re already more popular and more beloved than any other wearable face computer.
Expect a new version of these trendy frames, along with a whole bunch of new AI additions for the software that powers them. Hey, speaking of that software …
AI Always
Meta—like all its Big Tech brethren—has fully pivoted to generative AI and large language models to fuel the next phase of its growth. Meta’s AI features are bleeding into nearly all of its apps and services, and there is probably much more on this front coming during Connect.
Chatbots remain an important part of Meta’s AI plan. The company has given users access to AI-generated characters with the likenesses of Snoop Dogg and Paris Hilton. In July, Instagram also made it possible for anyone to generate custom chatbots—including an AI version of yourself. It’s likely Meta will continue that trend, even though that level of freewheeling customization comes with lots of risks of fueling misinformation.
Nonetheless, Meta is bound to continue infusing its AI into everything it does, including any and all new devices it will announce.
Tune in today for Zuckerberg’s keynote, and stay tuned to WIRED after Meta Connect kicks off for breaking news and analysis of the announcements.
