Neal Stephenson, the visionary author who coined the term 'metaverse' and once championed smart glasses as the future, has dramatically reversed his position. He now asserts that smartphones will remain dominant two decades from now, dismissing face-worn devices as the inevitable replacement. This stark reversal comes despite Apple's own internal projections, reported in 2019, that such glasses would supplant the iPhone within roughly a decade.

Senior executive Eddy Cue echoed this view as recently as last year, framing it as a potential 'technology shift' that could disrupt the smartphone's supremacy. However, Stephenson's current stance, detailed in a 9to5Mac piece, argues that the fundamental utility and form factor of the pocket-sized device are too entrenched to be displaced by wearables. He points to the failure of predecessors like Google Glass and Meta's recent glasses, which struggled to overcome perceptions of being 'sinister' or socially awkward.

The article also notes Stephenson's earlier prediction that Apple Glasses might replace the Apple Watch, not the iPhone, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding Apple's wearable ambitions. While Stephenson's view represents a significant shift, the piece concludes that the smartphone's core design, proven effective for 18 years, shows remarkable resilience.