According to a report from TechNews citing Financial Times, Meta is accelerating its development of AR devices to compete with Apple, Google, and others. The company plans to add a display layer to its Ray-Ban Meta glasses, as the report notes.

Meta has partnered with Ray-Ban’s manufacturer, EssilorLuxottica, to develop the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Citing sources, the report from Financial Times reveals that Meta intends to incorporate a display layer into these glasses to show simple text and images, enabling the reception of service notifications and responses from the Meta AI assistant. The new glasses are expected to launch as early as the second half of 2025.

The report notes that the first-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses, launched in 2021, were met with a lukewarm response in the market. However, the report cites EssilorLuxottica CEO Francesco Milleri, who indicated that the revamped version introduced in September 2023 gained unexpected popularity among consumers, and within just a few months, its sales exceeded the combined total sales of the previous generation.

Meta’s expansion into the wearable device market goes beyond the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, as highlighted in the report. In September 2024, the company unveiled a prototype AR glasses product called Orion. According to the report, CEO Mark Zuckerberg envisions smart glasses as the next mainstream platform, competing against similar initiatives from Apple, Google, and Snap.

Orion incorporates an advanced AR display and custom chips. The display notably uses LEDoS (silicon-based Micro LED) technology, enabling 3D content to seamlessly overlay the real world. Additionally, the report details that the device integrates miniature cameras and sensors within its frame and temples, with a total weight of 98 grams. It also features an EMG (electromyography) wristband and a pocket-sized computational support device.

Citing sources, the report mentions that early testers have reacted enthusiastically to Orion, leading Meta to expedite its development process. However, turning this prototype into a consumer-ready product will take several more years. The report points out that challenges include the high cost of optical-grade silicon carbide lenses and limited experience in mass production, both of which exert significant pressure on the supply chain.

Notably, the report cites Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth, who stated that 2025 will be the most important year in the history of Reality Labs, the division responsible for Meta Quest headsets and AR glasses development, hinting that Meta intends to make significant advancements in wearable devices, as the report notes.

Furthermore, the report also underscores the critical role of AI and MR (Mixed Reality) integration in the evolution of both Ray-Ban Meta glasses and Orion. Zuckerberg has laid out an ambitious vision for Meta AI, aspiring for the company to become a leader in the AI sector, as indicated by the report. To support this vision, Meta has committed billions of dollars to developing large language models and constructing AI data centers.

(Photo credit: EssilorLuxottica)

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