The vision Meta has for its future involves a combination of the metaverse, more personalized AI experiences, and enhanced messaging capabilities. While the metaverse may not be the dominant topic it once was, Meta is still actively building towards this future.

Meta wants to dominate the next wave of online interaction through virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and other advanced virtual experiences. 

Meta points to the increasing popularity of VR headsets, their own investments in metaverse development, and the evolution of online gaming platforms as evidence for its potential.

The hype stampede is busy rushing down AI as the next big thing, and the new shiny object. VR, AR and the metaverse have been continuing progress. You didn't really think that the metaverse was dead in its tracks did you?

What we can look forward to in the future is better devices, better depth resolution and sharper images, faster processing and the folding of AI into the VR experience.

Which means the whole VR and metaverse experience is about to get so much cooler than it has been in the past, We're still very much in the beginning of the beginning stages of VR. 

This ambition is highlighted in a recent post on the Meta Quest Blog, where Meta shares its predictions for technological advancements in 2024 and beyond, with the metaverse being a primary focus.

“Most likely, we’ll arrive at a hybrid model where some tasks are completed by LLMs running on the cloud while others take place on our phones in the palm of our hands, or even on a pair of stylish smart glasses.”

Meta has their new Ray-Ban Smart Glasses to point to as an example of this.

Apple’s Vision Pro has sparked renewed enthusiasm in spatial computing, seen by many as a preview to the future of digital interaction. 

Also, the shift of AI processing from cloud-based to edge and mobile devices will personalize user experiences and reduce latency. 

There's a noticeable increase in consumer interest in virtual and mixed reality, with fitness and wellness emerging as significant applications. Notably, the Meta Quest app was the most downloaded on the App Store during Christmas, and Reality Labs recently achieved over $1 billion USD in revenue for the first time.

Other Key Developments From Meta

AI Processing Shift: Meta predicts a shift in AI processing from the cloud to individual devices like phones and smart glasses. This will enable more personalized experiences and faster response times. They cite the launch of Meta AI on Ray-Ban smart glasses as an example of this trend.