Meta Connect 2026: Ambition across many frontiers
30 September 2026
Meta Connect showcased the company’s determination and ambition to compete simultaneously across multiple fiercely contested technology spaces, with Apple’s wearable products and services a primary target.
In attempting to both capture developer mindshare and change consumer perceptions of AI and wearables, Meta buried new and interesting AI developer frameworks and agentic experiences behind cartoon AI agents and a Tamagotchi-like device.
Smart glasses category expansion, and a radical VR glasses reveal, were tightly bound to AI as the missing component to assist app and service development, driving improved experiences for consumers. Meta’s hardware strategy remains US-centric with very slow international rollout for flagship devices.