Ray-Ban Meta Glasses: Massive increase in production planned
The Ray-Ban Meta glasses are a sales hit. The manufacturer wants to increase production to 10 million units per year. There are rumors about various innovations.
(Image: Meta, Bearbeitung: heise online)
Over two million pairs of Ray-Ban Meta glasses have been sold since their market launch in October 2023. This was announced last week by the French company EssilorLuxottica, the main partner behind Meta's smart Ray-Ban glasses. In the press release on the results for the 2024 financial year (PDF), EssilorLuxottica reported “solid sales growth” with “smart glasses as a new driver”. Sales of Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses recorded a “strong acceleration” in 2024. The smart AR glasses, which were developed in cooperation between Meta and Ray-Ban, were launched on the market just over a year and a half ago. It followed on from the Ray-Ban Stories, which could take videos and photos.
Francesco Milleri, CEO of EssilorLuxottica, described the smart glasses as a “great success” during the conference call to present the business figures. This was reported by the web portal UploadVR, which specializes in virtual reality. Considering the success, EssilorLuxottica is planning to increase its annual production capacity to 10 million units by the end of 2026. Milleri also hinted that the glasses' multimodal visual AI function, which is currently limited to the USA, Canada and Australia, will “soon” be extended to other countries worldwide. At the end of last year, Meta already began rolling out certain AI features for users of its Ray-Ban Meta AR glasses in France, Italy, Ireland, and Spain. Even without AI, Ray-Ban Meta glasses were already a big seller.
Rumors about plans for the near future
Milleri made it clear at the presentation, according to the web portal Amdroid Central, that EssilorLuxottica is planning with Meta for the long term and that the “shared platform” is open to collaboration with other brands. According to rumors, Meta and EssilorLuxottica are also planning to launch Oakley-Meta glasses on the market this year. While the Ray-Ban glasses have a camera on one side and are aimed at all consumers, the Oakley glasses will have the camera in the middle and are primarily intended for “cyclists and other athletes”, it is said.
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According to Android Central, Meta is also already working on the next version of its smart glasses, which could include a small display. This is also still a rumor. The Ray-Ban Meta Glasses currently have speakers, a microphone and a touchpad in the temples. Users can listen to music or take calls with them. Two Harvard students have even succeeded in identifying strangers on the street just by looking at them.
(akn)
