By then, Meta will have had years to refine the product
En la carrera por definir el próximo gran paradigma de la computación personal, Meta se adelanta con decisión mientras Apple aguarda en los márgenes. Las Hypernova, gafas inteligentes con pantalla integrada y control neural desde la muñeca, llegarán al mercado por unos 800 dólares —muy por debajo de lo esperado— en un momento calculado para eclipsar el ciclo de productos otoñales de Apple. Es una apuesta clásica de quien llega primero a un territorio sin cartografiar: aceptar márgenes estrechos hoy para convertirse en el nombre de referencia mañana, cuando el mercado despierte.
- Meta lanzará las Hypernova el próximo mes a 800 dólares, un precio que rompe las expectativas previas de entre 1.000 y 1.400 dólares y abre el mercado de gafas con pantalla a una audiencia mucho más amplia.
- El lanzamiento está cronometrado para coincidir con los nuevos iPhones de Apple, una provocación directa a una empresa que no tendrá una respuesta competitiva en este segmento hasta 2027.
- Vision Pro, a 3.500 dólares y sin un ecosistema de contenidos sólido, no ha logrado convencer al gran público, dejando a Apple en una posición de vulnerabilidad justo cuando Meta acelera.
- Meta asume márgenes más bajos por unidad para ganar tracción en un mercado que aún no existe del todo, apostando a que dos años de ventaja serán suficientes para fijar el estándar.
- Apple planea para 2027 un modelo más ligero de Vision Pro y sus propias gafas inteligentes con IA, voz y gestos, pero en tecnología de consumo, dos años de retraso pueden ser definitivos.
Meta se mueve con urgencia. Mientras Apple ajusta su hoja de ruta para los dispositivos de realidad aumentada, Zuckerberg prepara el lanzamiento de Hypernova —gafas inteligentes con una pequeña pantalla en la lente derecha y control mediante una interfaz neural en la muñeca— a un precio de 800 dólares, bastante por debajo de los 1.000 o 1.400 que se habían anticipado. El momento elegido no es casual: el anuncio llegará justo cuando Apple presente sus nuevos iPhones, un desafío frontal a una compañía que no tendrá una respuesta directa hasta 2027.
Las Hypernova suponen un salto cualitativo respecto a la colaboración con Ray-Ban lanzada este verano, que carecía de pantalla. Las nuevas gafas mostrarán notificaciones y contenido de aplicaciones directamente en la lente, sin necesidad de sacar el teléfono, con una interacción manos libres que Meta lleva años persiguiendo. El precio base de 800 dólares no incluye lentes graduadas ni variaciones de montura, lo que elevará el coste final para muchos usuarios, pero la señal estratégica es clara: Meta está dispuesta a sacrificar margen para ganar mercado.
Apple, mientras tanto, solo ofrecerá una actualización menor de Vision Pro este año —un chip más rápido, nada más—. Su gran movimiento llegará en 2027: un modelo un 40 % más ligero y sus propias gafas inteligentes con IA, reconocimiento de gestos y voz. Es un plan ambicioso, pero lejano. Vision Pro, a 3.500 dólares y con un ecosistema de contenidos todavía escaso, no ha encontrado su razón de ser entre el público general. Para cuando Apple entre en el terreno donde Meta ya lleva años construyendo, Hypernova habrá tenido tiempo de madurar, atraer desarrolladores y convertirse en la referencia del sector. En tecnología, dos años de ventaja no son un detalle: suelen ser el resultado.
Meta is moving fast. While Apple deliberates over its next move in wearable displays, Zuckerberg's company is preparing to launch Hypernova—smart glasses with a small screen embedded in the right lens—sometime next month, priced at $800, or just under €700 when converted. The timing is deliberate: the announcement will arrive alongside Apple's new iPhones and fall product lineup, a direct challenge to a company that won't have a competitive answer ready for two more years.
The Hypernova represents a significant step forward from Meta's existing smart eyewear. The Ray-Ban collaboration that launched earlier this summer was designed for athletes and outdoor enthusiasts, but it lacked a display. These new glasses will show notifications and app content directly on the lens without requiring the wearer to pull out a phone. Control comes via a wrist-worn neural interface, similar to the technology Meta demonstrated in its Orion augmented reality prototype. It's the kind of seamless, hands-free interaction that the company has been chasing for years.
The price is the real story. Meta had previously signaled these glasses might cost $1,000 or even $1,400—a steep ask for an unproven category. But according to reporting from Apple analyst Mark Gurman, the company has found a way to undercut those expectations significantly. By accepting thinner profit margins on each unit, Meta is betting it can build momentum in a market that barely exists yet. The strategy mirrors how companies typically launch new product categories: price aggressively, absorb the cost, and capture market share before competitors arrive. Of course, the $800 base price doesn't account for custom lens prescriptions or variations in frame style, which will add to the final bill.
Apple's timeline tells the real story of who's winning this race right now. The company will offer only a minor update to Vision Pro this year—a faster chip, nothing more. The major push comes in 2027, when Apple plans to release a lighter, cheaper model that weighs 40 percent less than the original. That same year, the company will finally attempt to compete directly with Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, offering its own lightweight eyewear with voice control, gesture recognition, video recording, and environmental awareness powered by artificial intelligence. It's a solid product roadmap, but it's also a distant one.
Vision Pro itself has stumbled. The device costs $3,500 and hasn't found a compelling reason for most people to buy it. The content ecosystem remains thin, and the use cases remain abstract. It's a technology looking for a problem to solve, and consumers have noticed. By the time Apple launches its answer to Meta's smart glasses in 2027, Meta will have had years to refine Hypernova, build a developer community, and establish itself as the default choice for anyone wanting a display in their glasses. In technology, two years is an eternity. In consumer hardware, it's often decisive.
Notable Quotes
Meta is accepting thinner profit margins on each unit to build momentum in a market that barely exists yet— Market analysis based on Mark Gurman reporting
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Meta think it can win this race when Apple has so much more money and brand loyalty?
Because Apple is playing a different game. Apple wants to own the entire experience—the hardware, the software, the ecosystem. That takes time. Meta is willing to be first with something good enough, even if it means making less money per unit.
But won't Apple just crush them once they finally launch in 2027?
Not necessarily. By then, Meta will have millions of users, thousands of developers building for Hypernova, and a two-year head start on understanding what people actually want from smart glasses. Apple will have to catch up, not the other way around.
The price point seems aggressive. Can Meta actually make money at $800?
Not much, at first. They're accepting lower margins to drive adoption. It's a classic move—lose money on hardware, make it back on services and advertising later. Apple rarely does this because they don't need to.
What about Vision Pro? Is it just dead?
Not dead, but wounded. It's a premium product looking for a use case. Hypernova is the opposite—it's a practical tool at a price people might actually pay. They're solving different problems, but Hypernova solves one people recognize.
So Meta wins?
Meta wins the next two years, almost certainly. What happens after 2027 depends on whether Apple can innovate faster than Meta can entrench itself.