Nearly 20 years since the first iPhone was launched, many people are\nbeginning to tire of constantly looking down at phone screens. From neck\npain to the sense of missing real moments, weariness with handheld\ndevices is increasingly palpable. Major technology companies are now\ncompeting to introduce smart glasses and augmented reality (AR) devices\npredicted to become the primary successors to smartphones in the\nfuture.<\/p>\n
Most recently, Snap Inc.\u00a0launched Specs. Priced at US$2,195, or\napproximately Rp34 million, the device will begin circulating in the\nUnited States, United Kingdom, and French markets by the end of this\nyear.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been almost 20 years since the iPhone launch, and now people\nare ready to move on to a different way of computing,\u201d said Evan\nSpiegel, CEO and founder of Snap, in an exclusive interview with CNBC\nInternational. \u201cSpecs is a new way to use technology together in real\nexperiences\u2014we look forward through clear lenses, not staring at a\nblurry screen in our hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unlike Snap\u2019s first product, Spectacles, which merely functioned as a\nUS$130 camera and lacked market appeal, Specs is designed as a complete\nspatial computer. Lighter than the previous developer-oriented version,\nthe device features a wider display, battery life of up to nearly four\nhours, and Bluetooth connectivity. Developers can also create artificial\nintelligence (AI)-based features integrated with tools from Anthropic,\nOpenAI, and Cursor. Spiegel even claims it is the most advanced, most\ncontext-aware, and most accessible device yet.<\/p>\n
Snap is not alone in moving in this direction. Competition is\nintensifying as major names like Meta, Google, Samsung, and Apple also\ndevelop similar products, each with their own approaches and\nstrategies.<\/p>\n
Meta has already advanced significantly through a collaboration with\nEssilorLuxottica, owner of the Ray-Ban eyewear brand. The Ray-Ban Meta\nseries is now the market leader in smart glasses, with sales exceeding 7\nmillion pairs by mid-2026 and a market share of over 70 percent in this\ncategory. Its latest products, Ray-Ban Meta Generation 2 and the Optics\nvariant, feature a design that looks exactly like regular glasses,\nsupport prescription lenses, and are equipped with Meta AI based on the\nLlama 4 model. Users can take photos, record 3K resolution video,\nconduct live broadcasts, and even translate languages in real time\u2014all\nsimply with the voice command \u201cHey Meta.\u201d Its price is far more\naffordable, starting from US$499, making it the closest option to the\nmass market at present.<\/p>\n
Although it once harboured great ambitions in the virtual reality\n(VR) realm, Meta is now scaling back those ambitions and shifting full\nfocus to smart glasses and AR, as they are considered more suitable for\ndaily wear and more easily accepted by the public.<\/p>\n
Google and Samsung are following suit. Together, they recently\nintroduced their smart glasses project at Google I\/O 2026, collaborating\nwith renowned fashion brands Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. The\nproduct relies on Google Gemini AI technology and the Android XR\noperating system, available in two types: an audio-only version and a\nversion equipped with a small display on the glasses lens. Designed to\nbe very lightweight and stylish, these glasses function as a complement\nto mobile phones, allowing users to ask for directions, translate text\non streets or restaurant menus, listen to music, and manage messages\nwithout holding a gadget. The first version is planned for release this\nautumn, with a primary focus on comfort and an appearance that looks\nnatural for daily wear, rather than resembling heavy tech equipment.<\/p>\n
Apple, the company most expected to deliver a new breakthrough, has\ninstead recently changed strategy. Vision Pro, a bulky headset priced at\nUS$3,499 that was hoped to become the next iPhone, turned out to be a\ncommercial failure. It was too expensive, too heavy, and unsuitable for\ncontinuous wear. Apple is reportedly halting further development and\ndisbanding its development team, redirecting resources to a new project:\nlightweight smart glasses codenamed N50. This new device is planned for\nrelease in late 2026 or early 2027, functions connected to the iPhone,\nis designed like regular glasses, and lacks a large display like Vision\nPro. This confirms that even Apple now believes the future lies not in\nheavy, enclosed devices, but in glasses that are lightweight and\ncomfortable for everyday use.<\/p>\n
Despite the significant opportunity, challenges remain. The price of\nSpecs, exceeding Rp34 million, is a major barrier, especially amid\ninflation that is pressuring consumer purchasing power. Market analyst\nJitesh Ubrani from IDC assesses that now is not the best time to launch\na premium product. \u201cSnap\u2019s main consumers are young people, who\ngenerally cannot afford such an expensive item,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Spiegel himself remains confident. He sees a shift in public\nbehaviour as people become aware of the negative impacts of staring at\nscreens for too long. \u201cIn the past, children could only play alone on\nscreens; now with Specs they can play chase, learn about dinosaurs, or\nbuild toys together\u2014all while seeing the real world,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/smartphones-nearing-obsolescence-as-successors-proliferate-1781686306", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }