A decade of hype!
Still waiting for users.
For more than a decade, AR, VR and AI glasses have been sold as the “next big platform.” From Google Glass to Magic Leap to Meta’s latest launch, the vision keeps coming back. But consumers keep walking away.
It’s a reminder of how brutal hardware adoption really is. Building new devices means not just solving engineering challenges, but shifting everyday habits in a smartphone-dominated world. That’s why our focus this week is on the bigger question: how macro trends collide with timing and execution, and why some bets flop while others define the future.
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Nordic Hardtech Radar
This Week: Lessons learned from a decade of failed wearables.
Glasses to ashes: why AR, VR and AI wearables keep failing — until they don’t
For more than ten years, tech giants and startups have promised a new era "beyond the smartphone". From Google Glass to Magic Leap to Meta’s latest AI glasses, visions have been bold but reality often relentless: flopped products, mocked demos, no adoption. And it's a pattern that echoes in other industries too, from wearables to batteries and companies like Northvolt.