Meta Platforms and EssilorLuxottica, the parent company of Ray-Ban, have announced a long-term partnership extension into the next decade. The two companies will continue working together to develop multiple generations of smart eyewear products.
While financial details of the deal remain undisclosed, there were previous reports that suggested Meta might buy a 5 percent stake in EssilorLuxottica. However, the official announcement did not mention that kind of investment. Companies like Apple are reportedly developing smart glasses, but Meta and EssilorLuxottica have a strong foothold in this emerging market. Both companies see potential in turning glasses into a major technology platform, seamlessly blending functionality with fashion. The partnership’s focus on “multi-generational” products means the glasses will continue to evolve, getting sleeker and gaining more features over time. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses themselves start at $300 and have many frames to choose from.
Even though the collaboration began in 2019, the first generation, known as Ray-Ban Stories, was launched in late 2021. The glasses faced criticism over privacy concerns due to default data sharing and audio transcriptions, but because of many other issues that we highlighted in our review. The second generation, released in 2023, received a warmer review from us with its slimmer frames, improved camera quality, and better audio capabilities. These glasses also introduced hands-free features like photo messaging and live streaming.
While Ray-Ban Meta has the Meta name on it, it’s not like the Quest series of headsets. It does not play video games, and the lenses do not change the world around you. These smart glasses can stream on Instagram live, take pictures, listen to music, and send messages. However, a key development in the evolution of these smart glasses was the introduction of Meta’s Multimodal AI. This toolset lets glasses’ AI assistant process and understand visual and audio information in real-time. This can help buyers identify objects and landmarks, and even translate road signs into different languages.
Source: EssilorLuxottica via Engadget
