AR/VR

Apple’s head of user‑interface design, Alan Dye, is leaving the iPhone maker to head a new creative studio at Meta, merging design, fashion and technology. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced veteran designer Stephen Lemay will succeed Dye, emphasizing that design remains a core strength. Dye, who joined Apple in 2006 and helped launch the “Liquid Glass” UI and the 2017 swipe‑up gesture, moves amid Meta’s aggressive push into AR/VR hardware, including Quest headsets and smart glasses. The hire highlights the growing competition for design talent and the belief that superior UI will be decisive in future consumer tech.

Meta is expanding its wearable tech vision with the Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses, priced at $799. Featuring in-lens displays controlled by hand gestures, these glasses allow for video recording and message sending. This visual upgrade to the previous audio-only model aims for more natural computer interaction. Early Meta Ray-Ban glasses have seen sales success, with EssilorLuxottica reporting increased revenues. However, Meta faces competition, as Google partners with Warby Parker on AI glasses, Snap plans new AR glasses, and Apple explores its own entry into the smart glasses market.