Meta Launches New AI-Powered Smart Glasses

Kathmandu. US technology company Meta has unveiled its own AI-powered smart glasses. The new 'Meta Glasses', announced by the company on Tuesday, will be available at a lower price in collaboration with the existing Ray-Ban brand, with an initial price of $299. The initial price of Ray-Ban smart glasses is $379. Company Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth said a cheaper option is needed to reach consumers in different price segments. According to him, although consumers are willing to pay more for Ray-Ban's popularity and brand value, the company wants to expand the market by providing more options. Although the new Meta Glasses are designed by the company itself, the collaboration with EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban's parent company, continues in some aspects. The company has launched the new glasses in three different designs. The 'Adventurer' will have a small frame. The 'Fury' will have a slightly larger and rounder frame, and the third will be a special oval-shaped model designed by popular American media personality Kylie Jenner. These glasses have the ability to play music, translate various languages, answer questions about the surrounding environment, and identify objects based on pictures taken by the camera. Meta stated that it uses the new 'Muse Spark' AI model, which the company claims will help extract more detailed information from images and remember users' personal interests and preferences. According to the company, the new model will initially be available in Meta Glasses, and will be included in older Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses through software updates. News agency CNN reported that during testing of the glasses at a public event, they were able to estimate the calorie content of a bowl of strawberries, translate Arabic signage into English, and recommend nearby museums. During the demonstration, the glasses also identified that decorative artificial cherries were not real. Analysts say that since such features are already available in Meta's current smart glasses, these features alone may not be enough to attract new customers. In particular, the company is trying to give a distinct identity to the model designed by Kylie Jenner. A special sound will be played when wearing this model, and users will also be able to use an artificial voice based on Kylie Jenner's voice instead of Meta's standard AI voice. According to Rune Bjørhovde, an analyst at market research firm Omdia, technology companies are struggling to clearly explain to consumers why smart glasses or other wearable devices are more useful than smartphones. According to him, even though there is the ability to understand the context of the real world through the use of cameras and AI, the question of its daily use still remains. It is expected that the popularity of smart glasses may increase as the price decreases. According to market research firm IDC, the average selling price of smart glasses is estimated to decrease from $376 in 2026 to $229 by 2030. Meta has previously tried to make an impact in the market through various hardware products such as smartphones, smart home devices, and virtual reality headsets, but has not achieved expected success. The company is now moving forward with the goal of making smart glasses as accessible technology as smartphones and smartwatches. According to Bosworth, the company is also studying new types of devices that can provide AI capabilities for people who do not wear glasses.