Mark Zuckerberg took repeated digs at Apple during Meta’s annual Connect event Wednesday — then borrowed a page from Steve Jobs’ playbook for a surprise reveal: a pocket-watch-sized device that carries Meta’s viral Muse AI agent into the real world, Reuters reported.
The Muse Charm has a roughly 2-inch (5-cm) screen navigable with a thumb, a customizable Muse character at its center, and a built-in 5G modem so users can tap into Muse without Wi-Fi — though it cannot make calls. Users access Muse directly on the gadget, bypassing AI apps on smartphones. Zuckerberg said the company has shifted focus from the metaverse to “personal superintelligence,” adding Muse will also soon be available across Meta’s smart glasses lineup.
Muse has drawn millions of downloads in what some analysts called the biggest U.S. app launch since ChatGPT. Meta shares were down about 2% in premarket Thursday after gaining nearly 12% this week. Analysts say Charm could appeal to Gen Z nostalgia for companion gadgets, but warn mass adoption is hard — pointing to the 2024 Rabbit R1 handheld that flopped after overpromising. “Unless Muse Charm can offer unique functions that smartphones, watches, earbuds or smart glasses cannot easily replace, it is more likely to remain a nice-to-have for early adopters,” said Linda Sui of Smart Analytics Global.
Sources: Reuters (Aditya Soni); CNN Business (Lisa Eadicicco)
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