The Race for Our Eyes
Following Mark Zuckerberg’s Connect 2025 keynote, online reactions to Ray-Ban Meta Display were surprisingly upbeat. Most gadget reviewers seemed to say just enough in their initial impressions videos and articles to cover their bases if the glasses turn out to be popular. More importantly, reactions on social media suggested that smart glasses similar to what Meta announced are the future.
The idea of wearing a computer on our face is not new. Google Glass went on sale in April 2014 although the company never took distribution seriously, not that different from how Pixel faired. We won’t spend too much time writing Google Glass’s obituary other than to say it was a product meant for a world in which design doesn’t matter. Around this same time, Facebook acquired Oculus, which kicked off a decade of Facebook grabbing some goodwill among gamers and VR enthusiasts. Magic Leap was the leader among a handful of HW startups, at least when it came to capturing the hearts and minds of journalists and VCs.
Become a subscriber today to continue reading. Already a subscriber? Sign in and read the full essay here.
An audio version of this essay is also available to subscribers. Sign in for instructions on getting the private podcast up and running in your favorite podcast player.
Inside Orchard Subscriptions
Choose either a monthly or annual membership. Payment is processed by Memberful and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special bundle pricing is available when subscribing to the Above Avalon Daily newsletter.
Member Privileges and Benefits
Receive Exclusive Essays. The cornerstone of an Inside Orchard subscription is access to Neil’s weekly essays on the latest developments in the technology industry. Weekly essays are ~1,000 words and sent via email. Essays revolve around the following topics: technology industry analysis, business model analysis, technology’s impact on societal and consumer trends. Create a free profile to read a few sample essays.
Access Exclusive Private Podcast. Listen to Inside Orchard essays via an exclusive private podcast. After becoming a member, all previously-published podcast episodes become available in your favorite podcast player. Podcast episodes never become available to the public.
Inside Orchard Support. Play an active role in supporting Inside Orchard as an independent source of analysis and perspective. Inside Orchard is 100% supported by its subscribers.