Mark Zuckerberg has spent years trying to control the hardware layer through which people access Meta’s services. Now, as he positions Muse as the centerpiece of the company’s artificial intelligence strategy, he is making a renewed bet that consumer devices will turn that ambition into a durable business advantage.

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Meta’s New AI Push Arrives Early

At Meta’s annual Connect conference, held a week before OpenAI’s major developer event, the company said that by the end of 2026 there will be more than 100 styles of AI glasses. Zuckerberg also unveiled a new pendant, the Muse Charm, though he did not disclose pricing.

The timing was deliberate. Meta was late to generative AI and has trailed OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, each of which has built a stronger lead with both models and products. Zuckerberg is now attempting to close that gap with Muse, an app designed to function like a personal assistant by handling tasks such as email, travel booking and online shopping.

Investors Are Buying The Hardware Story

Markets have responded positively. Meta’s stock rose 4.5% on Thursday and has gained more than 25% since the company introduced Muse earlier this month. Investors appear willing to give Zuckerberg another chance after Meta failed to create a meaningful consumer market for virtual reality following its rebrand from Facebook to Meta five years ago.

“Meta Connect 2026 more explicitly attached Muse AI as a killer app fused deeply into the hardware strategy, from AR glasses and extending into Muse Charm, a dedicated keychain-like device providing rapid access to Muse,” Mizuho analysts wrote in a Thursday note. The firm, which rates the stock a buy, said Meta’s AI progress should continue to drive multiple expansion in the shares.

A Pendant Built For The AI Era

The Muse Charm looks like a hybrid between a children’s keychain toy and a wearable alert device. Zuckerberg said Meta still needs to finalize the materials and component layout before the product is ready for the holidays.

The device is meant to give users a faster, more direct way to reach their AI agent. Zuckerberg said it will include a fingerprint sensor that activates voice interaction with Muse. Meta also said Muse will soon be integrated into its smart glasses, giving users hands-free access simply by speaking the agent’s name.

Meta Tries To Reduce Its Dependence On Apple

For Zuckerberg, the hardware strategy is also about distribution power. Meta remains dependent on Apple for access to consumers, a vulnerability sharpened after Apple’s 2021 privacy changes reduced the effectiveness of app-based advertising targeting.

Meta has had some success in smart glasses through its partnership with EssilorLuxottica, the parent company of Ray-Ban. The company also introduced slimmer, lighter Meta VR Glasses, which will sell for $1,299 next year. That marks Meta’s first VR launch since the $299 Quest 3S in 2024.

OpenAI Is Moving Toward Hardware Too

The competition is intensifying. As OpenAI prepares for its DevDay conference, expectations are rising that the company could introduce its own long-rumored hardware product. Reports suggest the device may resemble a hockey puck-style speaker. OpenAI declined to comment.

Meta’s recent momentum has also been helped by Muse’s rapid ascent to the top of Apple’s App Store, surpassing ChatGPT. At the same time, OpenAI and Anthropic are facing growing scrutiny over the potential risks of their models, with critics and executives raising alarms about possible harms.

The Real Test Is Consumer Demand

Even with the investor enthusiasm, analysts and operators say the bigger question is whether consumers actually need another device. Smartphones already do much of what Meta is promising, and the Muse Charm must prove it can offer a simpler, faster experience rather than adding friction.

Anthony Ferry, chief executive of e-commerce company Wayvia, said the device would need to be easier to use than a phone. “If I still have to pull out my phone to finish the job or fix the order, it’s just another thing to charge,” he said.

Anshika Jain, an analyst at Counterpoint Research, sees potential in the category. She said Muse Charm reflects a broader shift in how consumers may use AI in daily life, especially when they need context-aware assistance on the move. “At the core is the Muse AI agent, which is designed to understand context and take actions in a faster way rather than just responding to queries,” she said.

Monetization Remains The Critical Question

Meta still has to prove that the surge in interest around Muse is more than a trend. It also needs a viable business model. Amazon has already blocked Muse from scanning its site to shop for customers, following similar restrictions imposed on Perplexity, OpenAI and Google.

Zuckerberg said Meta expects to make money over time by taking a small fee from transactions. That approach, however, raises a practical question for businesses: whether Muse is generating new demand or simply diverting existing demand into Meta’s ecosystem.

“If it brings you a customer you wouldn’t have reached, great,” Ferry said. “But if the same customer buys the same product through another channel, that isn’t automatically a new sale.”

William Blair analyst Ralph Schackart said Meta has outlined a clear monetization model, expecting to generate revenue primarily by taking a small fee on transactions completed through Muse while keeping the product free for most users.

For Zuckerberg, the strategy is familiar: pair software with proprietary hardware, reduce dependence on gatekeepers and create a new consumer habit before rivals can define the market. The difference this time is that the AI boom gives Meta a clearer narrative, and perhaps a faster path to relevance, than the metaverse ever did.