Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have proven surprisingly popular - this could change Meta's AR strategy
Meta announced the second generation of Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses at the same time as the Quest 3 headset. They are a combination of glasses, camera and open-back headphones, complemented by a Meta AI neural network. According to experts, the design of the glasses is almost perfect, but the quality of the camera and sound leave much to be desired. Mark Zuckerberg says eyeglass sales are doing "much better than he had hoped."
Most of all, besides the quality of the camera and sound, experts were disappointed that the most interesting functions were available only to beta testing participants. Despite this, the AI built into the glasses seems “neat” to them. After unflattering reviews, successful sales of smart glasses seem to have caught Meta👓 by surprise. Analysts believe the result could be some changes in strategy for the company, which initially did not bet heavily on smart glasses.
For existing Ray-Ban smart glasses owners, this means Meta will likely continue to release new features and updates, such as the recently released version 2.0 software. The popularity of the glasses should save them from the fate of the Meta👓 Quest🥽 Pro headset, which only receives rare firmware fixes and only then because it is part of the overall Quest platform. It is possible that smart glasses will become no less important for Meta than Quest headsets.🥽
