Meta is highly likely to unveil advanced “Hypernova” smart glasses at its annual Connect event when it kicks off on September 17.
But despite the hype surrounding the rumored product, the often-reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested on Tuesday that the incoming smart specs will be an “experimental” device for Meta, with limited shipment expectations of just 150,000 to 200,000 units in the two years following their launch, which should take place before the end of this year.
In a post on X, Kuo said that global shipments of smart glasses are forecast to hit around 14 million units next year, indicating that Hypernova’s market share will be negligible, thereby “positioning it more as an experimental product for Meta.”
The analyst said artificial intelligence (AI) will be Hypernova’s “most important selling point,” but added that the integration of AI with augmented reality (AI) applications “is still in its nascent stages” and therefore could hold it back.
Kuo attributed Meta’s conservative shipment forecast for Hypernova mainly to the device’s limited AI capabilities, combined with its estimated price of around $800.
Citing another hurdle, the analyst said that the decision to use Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) microdisplay technology to achieve scalability for mass production “presents hardware design challenges related to form factor, brightness, response time, and battery life.”
Kuo concluded that Meta’s strategic goals for releasing Hypernova this year are: “1) To launch ahead of Apple to build its brand image, 2) To gain early experience in developing the ecosystem, and 3) To understand user behavior.”
Meta has already launched smart glasses in the form of the Ray-Ban Meta series. The Ray-Bans are primarily designed for capturing photos and videos, and also offer open-ear audio for listening to music and taking calls, but they lack a heads-up AR display.
The Hypernova glasses, on the other hand, are likely to feature a small monocular heads-up AR display for showing notifications and navigation, and interacting with Meta AI. They could also include a neural wristband to interpret subtle finger and wrist gestures for control.
From what we know, Meta’s new smart glasses look like an early but significant step toward fully immersive, AR-enabled, and AI-powered smart glasses.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.
Samsung's next budget fitness tracker may look a lot like its predecessor. Although the company has yet to share any details about the device, Android Authority has obtained videos showing the Galaxy Fit 4 in three colors, offering a closer look at a wearable that appears to retain the same basic design as the Galaxy Fit 3.
Samsung may be playing it safe with its next fitness band