The tech industry has poured billions into convincing people to wear face-mounted computers, but bulky virtual-reality headsets haven’t caught on with the masses. Now, companies are pivoting—shifting from goggles that replace reality to sleeker, more wearable glasses that blend into everyday life. The strategy makes intuitive sense: People rarely wear heavy, awkward headgear unless absolutely necessary—like during skiing or gaming—but nearly everyone wears glasses. If tech firms want to integrate computing into daily routines, why not design devices that look and feel like ordinary eyewear? Evidence of this shift is emerging. Meta recently claimed strong sales for its Ray-Ban Display Glasses, priced at $800 a pair. However, context matters: estimates suggest Meta sold around 15,000 units in the final quarter of 2025—far from a mass-market breakthrough. The reality is far more complex. Shrinking powerful computing hardware into something lightweight and stylish is an immense engineering challenge. The lighter and more affordable the glasses, the fewer capabilities they can offer—making it harder for consumers to justify the purchase. Apple’s Vision Pro headsets, despite their advanced features, have struggled to gain traction, underscoring the difficulty of selling immersive headsets to mainstream users. In response, Apple is reportedly diverting resources from its Vision Pro project to develop its own version of Meta-style smart glasses. Meanwhile, Meta continues refining its vision. While the Ray-Ban Display Glasses serve as a foothold, the company is also developing “Phoenix”—a headset that’s significantly smaller than its Quest models but larger than its glasses. Originally slated for a 2026 launch, Phoenix has now been delayed to 2027, according to Business Insider’s Jyoti Mann. Google is also stepping into the space. This year, it plans to launch smart glasses similar to Meta’s, likely at a lower price point since they won’t include Meta’s proprietary “neural wristband.” Beyond that, Google is reportedly working on more advanced models with capabilities reminiscent of Meta’s 2024 “Orion” prototype—though that device remains unreleased. The race to make smart glasses a daily reality is far from over. But success will depend not just on technology, but on whether people believe the added value is worth the cost, weight, and the social perception of wearing a computer on their face. The next few years will reveal whether the industry’s new focus on glasses is a smart pivot—or just another attempt to sell a product no one really wants.