In 2022, Meta and Ray-Ban launched glasses with an integrated camera called Ray-Ban Stories, which allowed images and videos to be captured and posted directly to the social network. In mid-2023, the companies launched a new generation called Ray-Ban Meta, an evolution with better features, more functions and even the ability to record longer videos.
While not a massive product, the Ray-Ban Meta has been a commercial success, so much so that the company led by Mark Zuckerberg is in talks to acquire up to 5% of the company behind Ray-Ban. Now, Google, for its part, also wants its own Ray-Ban with Gemini.
Smart glasses could be experiencing the beginning of their triumphant comeback
Interest in smart glasses is growing, and the Ray-Ban Meta seems to be one of the culprits. In just a few months, these glasses have sold more units than the previous model, the Ray-Ban Stories, had sold in the two years it was on the market until it was replaced by the new generation.
Google, a company that launched Google Glass, its first proposal in the world of smart glasses, more than ten years ago, is in talks with EssilorLuxottica, the company responsible for Ray-Ban, to create Gemini artificial intelligence powered glassesaccording to information obtained by Verge.
However, the source who revealed these details to the American media assures that it is “very unlikely” that Meta will lose its partnership with EssilorLuxottica for the development of smart glasses. Zuckerberg’s company could even accelerate its investment plans of around 4.5 billion dollars for acquire a stake of between 3% and 5% in the EssilorLuxottica group.
Google is undoubtedly interested in a new foray into the market of mixed reality devices, such as smart glasses or headphones. The company is working in collaboration with Samsung and Qualcomm to develop an XR (mixed reality) platform that would serve as a system for this type of devices in the near future. It is estimated that in 2025 we could see the first devices working with this platform.
On the other hand, it is understandable that Google is also interested in collaborating with Ray-Ban for this type of glasses; after all, the brand features some of the most iconic and popular eyewear designs in historyfrom the classic Wayfarer to the Aviator, among others. And beyond the inclusion of cameras to take first-person photos and videos, the possibility of having an AI-based virtual assistant directly on this device seems really interesting and promising.
The Ray-Ban Meta, for their part, have a relatively affordable price for the type of device they are: they are available from 329 dollars, depending on the model of glasses.
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