The latest Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have improved on the sales of its previous version since its release in October last year.
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Ray-Ban Meta has outshone the previous generation with the addition of Meta AI technology, which can provide users with information on the objects they can see, along with a number of other technical improvements.
The US sunglasses and eyewear manufacturer Ray-Ban introduced its first generation of smart glasses ‘Ray-Ban Stories’ in 2021, although these did not catch on as much as initially hoped.
Francesco Milleri, CEO of EssilorLuxottica, an Italian-French multinational corporation that owns Ray-Ban, explained that the first generation of smart glasses ‘Ray-Ban Stories’ laid the foundation for the success of this new generation.
Moreover, it was not until Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses were brought to market just over nine months ago that sales began to take off.
Fashion Network shared Milleri’s comments on the new sales figures at an event in Milan:
“Today people’s expectations are clearer… hence the success of the second generation.
“In Europe we are waiting for the decision of the new Artificial Intelligence Act, which we hope will arrive soon.”
Milleri also referred to Meta as a “key partner” for the company, as well as sharing his view that his brands could create “a cultural intermediary to bring technology to people”.
Ray-Ban Meta: Second Generation
While Ray-Ban Meta are currently retailing for around the same price as Stories 2, Ray-Ban Meta has new and improved features available.
The biggest difference is Meta’s in-built AI technology within the Ray-Ban Meta version, but it has also renovated the audio, camera, charging capabilities, plus the look and feel of the glasses have been updated.
From an audio perspective, Ray-Ban Meta is reportedly 50 percent louder, with twice the amount of bass.
The camera has a new ultra-wide 12 MP camera for better photo quality and 1080p videos of up to 60 seconds. You can share photos to friends and family with the “send a photo” voice command and engage in hands-free livestreaming to Facebook or Instagram.
The glasses are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 Platform, which Meta says will produce higher quality photo and video processing.
A redesigned charging case will hold up to eight more charges, equating to 36 hours of total use.
In terms of the frames, it is continuing to use the Wayfarer style, along with a new ‘Headliner’ design, both of which can be purchased in matte black, shiny black, and three further colour options.
Meta released a blog post in late September last year announcing the arrival of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, in which they commented on the innovations that had been made: “We redesigned our next-generation glasses from the ground up, listening to feedback from the community and taking the time to understand what people love about the product — like the effortlessly cool form factor, hands-free convenience, and open-ear audio — as well as the areas where we could improve, like overall media quality and comfort.
“We’ve improved all those core features of the first generation and added a couple completely new features that have never been seen on a pair of smart glasses before.”
EssilorLuxottica
EssilorLuxottica is the parent company to Ray-Ban, Oakley, Essilor, Persol, Sunglass Hut, OPSM, and LensCrafters, and it licenses sunglasses frames for designer brands, such as Chanel, Prada, Giorgio Armani, Dolce and Gabban, Michael Kors, Versace, Burberry, and more.
Within the world of smart glasses, as well as possessing Ray-Ban, EssilorLuxottica is also the owner of Nuance Audio, HELIX, and EssilorLuxottica Smart Eyewear Lab, making it a major presence in the smart glasses space.
