Meta Platforms has unveiled its first consumer-ready smart glasses with a built-in display, expanding its Ray-Ban line that has become an early consumer hit of the artificial intelligence era. CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced the Meta Ray-Ban Display alongside a new wristband controller at Meta’s annual Connect conference in Menlo Park, California. The announcement, greeted with applause despite some technical issues during the demonstration, underscores Meta’s determination to position its smart glasses as a bridge to what Zuckerberg described as “personal superintelligence.” According to him, glasses are an ideal form factor for accessing AI-driven capabilities without losing presence in everyday interactions.
The new Ray-Ban Display glasses include a small digital display integrated into the right lens, designed to handle basic tasks such as notifications. Priced at $799 and available in stores on September 30, the package also includes a wristband that translates hand gestures into commands like answering calls and responding to texts. All the devices in Meta’s wearable portfolio feature Meta’s AI assistant, cameras, hands-free control, and livestreaming to Facebook and Instagram. The launch signals Meta’s ongoing push to compete with rivals such as OpenAI and Alphabet’s Google in rolling out consumer-facing AI products, backed by Zuckerberg’s commitment to invest tens of billions of dollars in advanced AI chips and to recruit engineering talent from across Silicon Valley.
Meta’s announcement comes amid scrutiny over its handling of child safety on its social media platforms. Reports in August indicated that Meta chatbots had engaged children in inappropriate conversations, while whistleblowers recently alleged that researchers were discouraged from studying potential harms of virtual reality on young users. Against this backdrop, the company is pressing forward with its wearable technology strategy, updating existing products and introducing new ones to broaden its reach. In addition to the Display glasses, Meta unveiled Oakley Vanguard, a new $499 pair of glasses aimed at athletes. Vanguard integrates with fitness platforms such as Garmin and Strava to provide real-time training statistics and post-workout summaries, offering nine hours of battery life. It will be available beginning October 21.
Meta also updated its previous Ray-Ban line, which does not feature a built-in display but now delivers nearly double the battery life of the earlier generation along with an improved camera, priced at $379 compared to the previous $299. Analysts view the Display glasses as an incremental step toward Meta’s planned 2027 launch of its “Orion” glasses, which Zuckerberg last year called “a time machine to the future.” Forrester analyst Mike Proulx compared the Display launch to Apple’s rollout of the smartwatch as an alternative to smartphones, saying glasses are a practical form factor but Meta must still convince consumers of their value. Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers, said the Display glasses offer strong value for the technology included but warned that software improvements are needed before the device can achieve mainstream appeal. IDC forecasts shipments of augmented reality and display-less smart glasses to rise by 39.2% in 2025 to 14.3 million units, with Meta driving much of the growth thanks to its partnership with Ray-Ban owner EssilorLuxottica and growing demand for lower-cost models.
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