Meta’s Ray Ban AI glasses are now available to a lot more users, with Meta launching the device in Mexico, the UAE and India, in its biggest hardware expansion yet.
Consumers in each region will now be able to get their hands on a pair of Meta’s increasingly popular connected wearables, which have taken off since Meta added live AI capabilities in December last year.
Meta’s Ray Bans will be equipped with AI in all of these new markets.
As reported by Upload VR:
“The expansion of Meta and EssilorLuxottica’s smart glasses business into India, Mexico, and the UAE almost triples the market reach, mainly given the enormous population of India.”
Though, as Upload VR also notes, India’s digital connectivity and accessibility options are not as developed as other markets, which could impede take-up. But even so, bringing its popular AR glasses to more users will help to expand its audience reach, which will also help to establish Meta as a leader in digital wearables, and build its foundation on such ahead of its coming AR push.
Which is where the competition is set to really heat up.
Apple has already launched its first-gen AR headset, and it’s planning a more slimmed-down, day-to-day wearable device, while Snapchat’s also still developing its own AR glasses.
Snap could have some advantages in this respect, due to the cool factor of the app, which was reflected in the initial popularity of its camera-equipped Spectacles when they were launched back in 2016. Though Snap’s AR glasses, at this stage at least, also look to have lesser technical specs than others, which could see it lose out in the AR race.
Google also previewed its own AR glasses at its I/O conference this week. And while the actual glasses displayed were a prototype version, Google’s working with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, to create more stylish wearables, as it looks to stake its own claim in the emerging AI-powered smart glasses market.
So Meta’s definitely going to have a lot of competition, which is why expanding to more markets now, and getting first-mover advantage, could help Meta build a more functional, valuable distribution network ahead of the next push.
And Meta’s Ray Ban glasses are cool, they’re good-looking, and amid the broader AI rush, you can see why they’re gaining traction.
On that front, it’s also notable that Meta’s also now referring to them as “AI glasses,” not “smart glasses,” in its official listings.
The broader expansion in availability is a significant step, and it’ll be interesting to see whether it has a significant impact on Meta’s Reality Labs sales figures for the rest of the year.
