Meta's smart glasses may only have a few features, including capturing media from one's point-of-view meant for direct integration to Instagram, but a new report claims that it is already outselling the traditional, non-smart eyewear from Ray-Ban. The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have also delivered multimodal AI recently, expanding more of its features apart from capturing photos and video.
Wearables are slowly being integrated into everyday lives, and the public is taking advantage of the new experiences available from different companies, especially Meta, which is excelling in this venture.
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses Is Outselling Traditional Eyewear
According to Upload VR, the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are finding success in the market at present, with the one-year-old wearable already outselling traditional eyewear in global Ray-Ban stores. The data showed that it is the top-selling product in as much as 60 percent of Ray-Ban stores in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as revealed by the CFO of EssilorLuxottica, Stefano Grassi, Ray-Ban's parent company.
However, it is important to note that the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are not considered AR glasses, as they are more of an accessory for smart devices, particularly smartphones and are best paired with Instagram.
Nevertheless, many people are finding them appealing, trendy and useful, as it was revealed that people buy smart glasses because of their cameras and speakers, and not their AI tech features.
Are the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses the Future?
Despite their popularity and advanced multimodal AI features, the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are not what Meta plans to be its frontrunner in the future, as it wants to bring the "true" AR glasses soon. The company recently unveiled this concept during the Meta Connect event, calling this project the "Orion," and it will be the most advanced pair from the company.
Nevertheless, Meta has yet to unveil its "smart glasses of the future," which will deliver AR capabilities. Interestingly, earlier rumors claimed that it is slated for a 2027 availability.
Meta's Wearable Future Plans
Meta's massive investments in its wearable developments and the renowned Reality Labs that handle all of its plans for the different digital reality developments are closely monitored by Mark Zuckerberg, as they are in the race to bring the first metaverse in the world. However, that will not be possible without the wearable devices that will immerse users in the platform, with the Quest 3 mixed-reality being its most advanced to date.
Earlier this September at the Meta Connect event, the company also unveiled the first concept behind its plans to develop their "first true" AR glasses, which is called the Orion. There is limited information behind this apart from offering a wearable form factor for everyday use, as well as augmenting the digital content and information through the lens together with the real world.
Meta may have started its journey on smart glasses with the stylish accessory it made in collaboration with Ray-Ban, but the company targets improved capabilities to arrive in the future. The good thing is, that Meta did not leave behind its co-branded Ray-Ban smart glasses to dust, with its latest AI features, adding more to its flair and helping it outsell the traditional glasses in the current market.
