In this guidebook, you have read scenarios of what it’s like to live in a post-smartphone world. We had coffee with Kathryn, who used a hologram feature on her AR glasses to talk with her mom. We spent a day with Nora who used her AR glasses to bring a garden to life. Oliver used AR glasses to launch his virtual fashion career, and Ethan had a whole audio shop depending on AR glasses to do his job.

Hopefully, these stories will give you a positive glimpse of what life will be without smartphones. AR glasses aren’t watching our every move. They aren’t reporting our thoughts to the government, or enabling companies to buy their products. AR glasses ease the workload and enhance the lives of people so they can focus on the things that matter most to them - family, work, and their passions.

When this guidebook was in conceptual form, it was shared with a focus group. The participants shared comments on the book with a bit of hesitation. Someone even said, “This sounds like my nightmare.” As the chapters were developed, these same people began to see that wearing AR glasses and using new technology wasn’t a nightmare at all. Rather, it could be exciting, educational, and even fun.

We need to start a conversation about what our post-smartphone future will look like. It has to go beyond the Metaverse hype and the current AI conversation that is consumed with ChatGPT. We need to prepare for an AI-driven future with an XR device or another type of wearable.