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Smart devices are incorporating advanced AI features, aiming to become more intuitive assistants. This summer, major tech companies鈥擜pple, Samsung, Microsoft鈥攂egan to unveil genAI capabilities in earnest for devices like smartphones, PCs, and wearables. It remains to be seen whether these will fundamentally change how consumers interact with technology in their daily lives.

Future consumer use cases: If the technology makes its way into a mainstream Meta product, it could be used as a health-focused wearable or offer remote assistance with tasks. The glasses鈥� real-time health metrics could facilitate an AI fitness coach that measures metrics like calories burned or speed, similar to an Apple Watch.

The news: Meta is planning another VR headset, codenamed Loma, to compete with Apple鈥檚 beleaguered Vision Pro, per The Wall Street Journal. The product will look similar to its Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses鈥攔ather than a traditional headset goggles design鈥攁nd feature higher-fidelity video than the Quest line of headsets. Meta is offering millions of dollars to Disney, A24, and others for exclusive IP-based gaming content to avoid the Vision Pro鈥檚 pitfall of lacking compelling content. Our take: Meta鈥檚 renewed headset push shows the company is learning from past missteps, but success will hinge on whether Loma can offer must-have experiences at a justifiable price.

The news: Apple delaying its AI-enhanced Siri voice assistant could push back plans to release smart home and wearable services and devices. The change affects a wider Apple Intelligence rollout and raises doubts about Apple鈥檚 ability to compete with Google and Amazon in AI products. The reason for the delay? Apple鈥檚 executives found the features didn鈥檛 work as advertised in their internal testing.

Smartwatch ownership in the UAE also led the region at 37.9% of respondents. This was significantly higher than the regional average of 24.9%. The UAE also surpassed regional averages in tablet ownership (35.5% versus 28%) and smart TV ownership (49.0% versus 44.4%). Time spent with digital devices in the UAE was slightly below regional averages.

Meanwhile, smart speakers, wearables, and AI-powered smart glasses are pushing the boundaries of voice assistant form factors. The voice assistant market is maturing just as innovation heightens competition. While Google Assistant maintains the lead in number of users, Apple鈥檚 Siri and Amazon鈥檚 Alexa are catching up.

Slower user growth is also why Meta is spending aggressively to launch new social media products like Threads and expanding into wearables and virtual reality. Meta鈥檚 unparalleled size insulates it from smaller platforms, but this quarter gave them a moment in the spotlight.

Expanding into robotics risks further straining Meta鈥檚 resources beyond AR/VR wearables. Meta, which gained its AR/VR expertise by acquiring Oculus, could opt to partner or buy robotics startups to leapfrog the competition, but that would also add market pressure to succeed in an all-new segment.

Meanwhile, competition is taking shape: Google and Samsung鈥檚 mixed-reality consortium can spin up viable competing wearables within the year. Unlike Meta, both companies have smartphones, mobile apps, and an Android XR developer ecosystem they can lean on to accelerate adoption. The ubiquity of smartphones makes AR experiences widely accessible through built-in cameras and screens.

The Ministry of Commerce received 10.79 million subsidy applications for electronic devices between January 20 and January 23 after the government expanded the program to include mobile phones, tablets, and smartwatches.

The news: Google started offering 鈥渧oluntary exit鈥� buyouts for US-based employees working within its Platforms and Devices business, which includes Android, Pixel, Fitbit, Chrome, and Nest. The buyouts don鈥檛 coincide with future product roadmaps or affect Search, AI, or Google Cloud business units, per 9to5Google.

Drugs, apps and wearables, and holistic treatments for the condition accounted for a global market worth $17.7 billion in 2024 that鈥檚 forecasted to reach $27.6 billion by 2033, per WHAM. Autoimmune diseases. Some 80% of those with rheumatoid arthritis are women and the market for autoimmune disorder medications is massive.