Yes, Mark Zuckerberg talking to his glasses in a onesie could be a breakthrough moment for smart glasses.
What happened: Meta updated the AI in its Ray-Ban smart glasses, which can now identify and provide information about landmarks if you’re in the company’s early access program.
- Zuckerberg showed these features off in videos recorded on the glasses, alongside existing search features like asking if horses get cold outside.
Catch-up: There’s a history of smart glasses failing to take off. The Google Glass augmented reality glasses were well-regarded but didn’t catch on beyond die-hard enthusiasts, and have only been available in enterprise settings since 2015.
- Google bought North — a Canadian startup that also struggled to get smart glasses off the ground — in 2020 to lay the groundwork for a new project that also fizzled out.
- Snap lost money on the first two versions of its video-recording Spectacles. A new version with AR features came out in 2021, but only for developers.
Why it matters: Updates like the ones Meta made this week might be why its glasses are the ones that finally connect with consumers. Putting a high-quality camera in Ray-Bans initially got a lot of attention from content creators and camera enthusiasts, but continually adding new (and more useful) features could grow the market.
- Depending on the frames, they cost only a couple hundred dollars more than regular Ray-Bans. That, plus looking like typical glasses, means more people could see themselves buying a pair.
Zoom out: There are a lot of smart glasses on the market, but most of them focus on doing one thing well, as opposed to the “ambient computing” Meta is trying to provide. The choices include Oakley’s fitness trackers and Echo’s wearable smart speakers.
- Apple, however, is reportedly exploring smart glasses as a less-expensive alternative to its Vision Pro headset.
What’s next: Others are hot on Meta and Ray-Ban’s heels. Brilliant Labs has developed Frame, smart glasses with built-in AI that are meant to be “hacked” with features a user might want to add. The first set ships in April.