Meta accelerates its entry into the wearable device field, aiming to leapfrog the next generation of computing platforms.

According to the Financial Times in the United Kingdom, Meta plans to add a display to its smart glasses to show notifications and responses from the Meta virtual assistant. This upgraded version of the Ray-Ban smart glasses, developed in collaboration with the eyewear group EssilorLuxottica, may be released as early as the second half of 2025.

As competitors like Apple, Google, and Snap are aggressively advancing, Meta is also speeding up its efforts in the wearable device space. The company’s CEO Zuckerberg previously stated his desire to make smart glasses the next generation of computing platform.

Despite continuous losses from Meta’s Reality Labs department (responsible for manufacturing smart glasses and Quest virtual reality headsets), the Ray-Ban smart glasses have surprisingly gained popularity among consumers.

According to EssilorLuxottica CEO Francesco Milleri, sales of the latest generation of products launched in October 2023 exceeded the total sales of the previous generation over two years within just a few months. Market data shows that the shipment of wearable glasses increased by 73% in 2024.

In mid-December, Meta's Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth stated that 2025 will be "the most important year in the history of Reality Labs."

Last September, Meta also showcased its augmented reality (AR) glasses prototype Orion, whose compact design, lightweight frame, and innovative display technology are hailed as a major breakthrough in the AR glasses field, and it is recognized as putting an end to the failures established by Google's Magic Leap and Microsoft's Hololens in this domain.

Reports cite informed sources stating that the enthusiastic response from early testers has prompted the company to accelerate the development of Orion and plans to develop the device as a Consumer product, although the release may still take several years.

Luke Alvarez, founding partner of Hiro Capital, stated:

“Meta's AI Global Strategy is merging with MR (Mixed Reality), making the Ray-Ban smart glasses and Orion project increasingly interesting.”

However, professionals indicate that developing a pair of stylish AR glasses with sufficient battery life, superior performance, and reasonable pricing remains a huge challenge for Meta, and in terms of the supply chain, the Silicon Carbide lenses used in Orion are currently expensive and difficult to produce on a large scale.

Editor/Jeffy