Mark Zuckerberg wowed Meta skeptics this time last year. He's about to try to do it again.

"Meta Connect is Zuckerberg's chance to prove the company's sprawling investments in wearables, software, and AI are converging into something consumers would potentially pay more for. A look back at Meta Connect 2024 Last year, Zuckerberg generated major buzz with a prototype of the Orion glasses, Meta's first true attempt at fully holographic AR. He also laid out a vision of wider adoption of AI glasses."

"Though still a developer-only product, Orion impressed early testers, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Reddit's Steve Huffman. The demo also earned positive reviews from Business Insider's own Peter Kafka, who said he would " buy them in a heartbeat." At the event, Zuckerberg also rolled out updates to existing products, such as transparent Ray-Ban Meta frames, new celebrity voices for Meta AI, and a budget-friendly Quest 3S headset at $299."

"The stakes are high. Meta is spending billions on AI research and hardware while competitors like Apple, OpenAI, and Google are chasing the same market. Meta Connect is Zuckerberg's chance to prove the company's sprawling investments in wearables, software, and AI are converging into something consumers would potentially pay more for. Last year, Zuckerberg generated major buzz with a prototype of the Orion glasses, Meta's first true attempt at fully holographic AR."

Meta is positioning AI-powered glasses and wearables as the next major consumer device and will showcase progress at Meta Connect 2025 in Menlo Park. CEO Mark Zuckerberg presented the Orion glasses prototype in 2024, a developer-only holographic AR device that impressed early testers. Meta is investing billions in AI research and hardware while competitors such as Apple, OpenAI, and Google pursue similar markets. Meta aims to transform prototypes into marketable products that consumers will pay for, building on updates like transparent Ray-Ban Meta frames, celebrity voices for Meta AI, and a $299 Quest 3S headset. Ray-Ban smart glasses sales surpassed two million by early 2025.

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