Meta CTO Hints at Connect 2025 Highlights
▼ Summary
– Meta Connect 2025 will feature major announcements on wearables, AI, and metaverse software, as teased by CTO Andrew Bosworth.
– Meta is expected to launch its first smart glasses, Meta Celeste, featuring a heads-up display for notifications, translations, and navigation, priced over $1000.
– Meta Celeste will include a wristband for gesture control but lacks full AR capabilities like positional tracking or a wide field of view.
– Meta may also unveil AI-generated environments in Horizon Worlds or updates to Horizon OS, alongside potential advancements in Codec Avatars for realistic virtual interactions.
– Meta is unlikely to provide concrete updates on true AR glasses at Connect 2025 to avoid overshadowing the Celeste launch.
Meta’s Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth recently dropped exciting hints about what’s coming at Meta Connect 2025, the company’s annual event scheduled for September 17-18. During an Instagram AMA session, Bosworth teased major updates in wearables, AI, and metaverse software, sparking widespread speculation about the tech giant’s next big moves.
The spotlight appears to be on Meta’s rumored smart glasses, codenamed Celeste. Industry insiders and multiple reports suggest these glasses will feature a heads-up display (HUD) in the right lens, offering real-time notifications, navigation, live translations, and even AI-generated text responses. Packaged with a gesture-control wristband, Celeste is expected to retail for over $1,000, positioning it as a premium wearable. However, unlike true augmented reality glasses, it won’t support full environmental anchoring or wide-field visuals.
Meta’s long-term AR ambitions remain a work in progress. Last year, the company showcased Orion, a high-end AR prototype, but admitted the technology isn’t yet feasible for mass production due to prohibitive costs. While updates on true AR glasses might surface at Connect 2025, analysts believe Meta will avoid overshadowing Celeste’s debut with premature announcements.
Beyond wearables, Bosworth’s mention of “metaverse software” leaves room for interpretation. Possibilities include AI-generated virtual environments in Horizon Worlds or advancements in Horizon OS, Meta’s VR platform. Another potential highlight is the launch of Codec Avatars, a decade-in-the-making project aimed at creating lifelike digital personas for social VR. Recent breakthroughs, like smartphone-scanned Gaussian splatting avatars, hint at near-future applications, though current Quest headsets lack the necessary eye and face tracking for full implementation.
Meta’s partnership with EssilorLuxottica could also yield new hardware surprises, such as the rumored Oakley Meta Sphaera glasses optimized for first-person video. With competition heating up among tech giants, Connect 2025 promises to be a pivotal moment in Meta’s roadmap. Stay tuned for deeper dives into the announcements as the event unfolds.
(Source: UploadVR)
