Meta To Equip Popular Smart Glasses With Display, Launch...
Meta has recently introduced three new AI features to its Ray-Ban smart glasses. These features include real-time AI conversation, real-time translation, and Shazam’s music recognition. According to a report by the Financial Times, Meta is planning to add displays to Ray-Ban smart glasses in order to compete with other smart glasses manufacturers such as Apple and Google. These displays will show notifications or interact with the Meta AI virtual assistant.
This update is a result of a collaboration between Meta and eyewear company EssilorLuxottica. The updated Ray-Ban smart glasses are set to be released in the second half of 2025. Although the initial version of the display may only showcase simple text or images, it marks an important step towards Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s long-term goal for augmented reality (AR) glasses, aiming to become the next computing platform.
Market Performance and Success
Meta has recently seen a significant increase in sales volume for its Ray-Ban smart glasses, with the new generation product surpassing the total sales of the previous version within a few months of its launch.
After the launch of the new version of these glasses in September 2023, they surprisingly received a warm welcome from consumers. Data indicates that the new generation product, launched by Meta in October 2023, exceeded the total sales of the previous generation within a few months.
Features and Functionality
Currently, Ray-Ban smart glasses come equipped with in-ear speakers, a camera, and a microphone, allowing users to listen to music, take photos, and engage in voice conversations with Meta’s virtual assistant. Michael Miller, the head of hardware at augmented reality game developer Niantic, mentioned that these lightweight glasses can be enjoyable and useful even without a display.
Engadget editor Lawrence Bonk expressed his appreciation for the simplicity of the current design and hopes that the addition of a display will not interfere with this simplicity. He also believes that Ray-Ban smart glasses are the ideal device for capturing pets.
Future Developments
In addition to rapidly updating Ray-Ban smart glasses, Meta is also expediting the development of another AR smart glasses called “Orion.” Orion is currently in the prototype stage, with plans already in place to transform it into a consumer product. Unlike Ray-Ban smart glasses, Orion was designed with a display solution using MicroLED and diffractive waveguide lenses, as well as innovative but expensive silicon carbide lenses that can provide users with a field of view up to 70 degrees.
Due to the manufacturing challenges and high cost of silicon carbide lenses, there are considerations to replace them with more common glass material to commercialize Orion effectively. Experts noted a 73% increase in the shipment volume of wearable glasses products in 2024, attributing the growth partially to products like Ray-Ban smart glasses and Apple Vision Pro, which are gradually familiarizing consumers with the concept of smart headwear devices.
Furthermore, Meta’s Quest 3S VR headset performed impressively during the 2024 “Black Friday” sales. Notably, Meta’s department, “Reality Labs,” responsible for developing Ray-Ban smart glasses and the Quest series VR headsets, has been operating at a loss since its establishment in 2020.
Meta’s Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth expressed optimism about the maturity of Meta’s VR hardware and AI glasses products. He anticipates 2025 to be the most pivotal year in Reality Labs’ history.
Source from ifanr
