A while ago, I watched iFixit's video taking apart the Meta glasses. Eight hundred dollars disappeared just like that. I watched with my eyes wide open: what the hell???
Meta is something else too. To reduce the weight, everything is held together with adhesive. Even watching the creator take the glasses apart looked difficult.
I looked into why the screen was removed, making them look no different from ordinary glasses.
1. Heat and power
If you think about it, putting a heat-producing display and processor right beside your temples... really does not seem ideal.
And the battery is such a tiny piece. It looks even thinner than a coin-cell battery. This is exactly what Marques Brownlee complained about: the battery capacity still needs work. But there is no easy way around it. If the glasses need to stay light, battery size becomes a constraint. So... what else can they do? 🤔
2. Value to the user
Ah, this part really matters. Earlier, when I was visiting Busan, there was a row of buildings between the sea and me. I looked through one building's glass window and saw a man facing the sea, smoking, surrounded by drifting smoke. The scene was so impressive. I raised my camera, but before I pressed the shutter... he turned around. I immediately hid off to the side. By the time I came back, he was already walking away toward the stairs below. I was unbelievably disappointed! What a scene. What incredible material for a photograph!
If I had been wearing Meta glasses at the time, I would not still be thinking about it now! I genuinely regret missing it.
So the value Meta creates for the user is this: time to capture, catching the timing, and staying present in life without having to stop and take out a camera or phone. That very clearly interrupts the flow of what you are feeling in that instant.
3. The data loop
Tools like ChatGPT and Gemini still depend on information the user enters—text, images, and so on—to provide unique value to that user. As soon as some of that content is missing, a lack of contextual understanding is inevitable. The user also has to keep entering or supplementing information, patiently and continuously. Meta glasses are different: what you see is what they receive. We call this egocentric data, dynamic data centered on the user and situated in the physical world.
That is a powerful move.
Of course, it also involves data security and privacy. For example, what happens if you enter a credit card number, expiration date, and CVV—or even an ATM PIN—while wearing the glasses? I have never used this product, so I do not know. 😂
And I know even less about how Meta will use that data.
/
Hi everyone, I'm Helia～
I'm a little too curious and eager to learn, and there is also a lot in my head.
I hope I can write down as much of it as possible and leave a trace in the physical world.
If something here gives you an idea, I'll be happy.