Ray-Ban’s next-generation Meta glasses are expected to debut later this year, featuring a built-in heads-up display (HUD).
This statement appears to contradict earlier reporting from The Info as recently as July. The report further noted that Meta’s HUD glasses, set to debut in 2025, will not be a collaboration with EssilorLuxottica, precluding any Ray-Ban styling or branding due to the corporate’s reluctance to accommodate the desired level of thickness required for the waveguide projector design.
It seems that one of these two shops is incorrect. The report from The Info arrived months ahead of Meta’s prolonged partnership with EssilorLuxottica, which will span multiple decades, with a goal to create multi-generational good eyewear products, and invested 5% stake in the company; thus, it is also plausible that Meta influenced EssilorLuxottica’s change of heart.
Meta extends its Ray-Ban partnership into the next decade.
Meta and Ray-Ban’s parent company have extended their partnership into the next decade to craft innovative, multi-generational eyewear products.
The small heads-up display (HUD) may be utilized to indicate notifications, outputting textual content instead of audio from the Meta AI assistant, and assisting in displaying body images before they are taken. Meta executives have previously spoken about the concept of a “viewfinder”.
Although Meta’s HUD glasses may be available soon, recent interviews with Mark Zuckerberg suggest that the company plans to continue offering affordable options without displays for an extended period, driven by the significant potential of Meta AI. Mark Zuckerberg initially envisioned Meta’s smart glasses as a way to enhance the social media experience, but with the development of language models, he now sees potential for an audio-only version to become a standalone product line within Meta. With HUD and AR glasses emerging as distinct product lines, they will likely coexist with traditional audio-focused glasses, rather than entirely supplanting them.
The Ray-Ban Meta glasses have enjoyed a remarkable success, with their manufacturers, Meta and EssilorLuxottica, striving to keep up with demand by rapidly producing new stock. Will patrons accept increased size and heft in exchange for a modest display, or does the success of this category hinge on its form mirroring that of everyday spectacles? Meta’s subsequent actions will respond to that query, with Samsung and Google expected to follow suit as well.
