How smart are smart glasses?

Will they increase total screen time or help reduce it, remains to be seen

- SUGANDHA MUKHERJEE

IT'S OVER a century that technology has been defined by its screens. Whether it's TVs, desktops, laptops, smartphones or tablets, we have long been exposed to a piece of glass and spend considerable time looking into these glowing rectangles, even squares if you unfold one. And each cycle has been accompanied by concerns over distraction, productivity and health. Now as the new generation of smart glasses comes into our view, from Meta's RayBan collaboration to Apple's Vision Pro headset, a familiar question hovers, will this new tech further extend our screen time or replace it?

Just a couple of searches and we can find longform discourse/YouTube videos on how people are caught between dependence and fatigue. They are unable to live without their smartphones, but increasingly resentful of their constant demands on attention. Smart glasses promise to be the next interface which is intimate, wearable, and always on.

Screen expansion or substitution?