Meta has signed a long-term deal with Ray-Ban that renews its partnership with the company behind the popular sunglasses and eyeglasses brand. The two companies worked on their first wearable eyewear product in 2019, and the first smart glasses were launched last year under the Ray-Ban Meta brand in several countries (but not India) and quickly outsold its predecessor. Earlier this year, the Ray-Ban Meta glasses received an update that added support for new features powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
Essilor Luxottica, owner of Ray-Ban and Oakley, announced Tuesday that it has signed a deal to expand its partnership with Facebook’s parent company Meta. The company says it will develop “multi-generational smart eyewear products” over the next decade, but did not share details related to the term of the deal.
Last year, Meta and Ray-Ban launched the latest generation of smart glasses with support for capturing images and videos using a built-in 12-megapixel camera, making phone calls, listening to music, and streaming content using smart eyewear. Was done. It is charged via a carrying case that resembles a Ray-Ban pouch for sunglasses and eyeglasses.
Earlier this year, Essilor Luxottica CEO Francesco Milleri said that the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses outsold the first-generation model, called Ray-Ban Stories. “Today people’s expectations are clear… hence the success of the second generation,” Milleri said at an event in July.
Ray-Ban Meta Glasses are currently available in several countries including Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, UK, and US. The company is yet to launch wearable smart glasses in India and other major markets.
Meanwhile, meta rival Snap unveiled its fifth-generation Spectacles at the Snap Partner Summit 2024 on Tuesday. Snap’s latest smart glasses are equipped with more immersive AR displays, feature micro projectors and are powered by dual Snapdragon processors. They claim to have a longer battery backup on a single charge than its predecessor. Currently, they can only be accessed by joining Snap’s Spectrum Developer Program, which costs a monthly fee of $99 (roughly Rs. 8,200).
