It appears like Meta’s good glasses lineup is about to develop past Ray-Ban. A brand new verified Instagram web page referred to as “Oakley | Meta” popped up this week, teasing a joint product launch scheduled for Friday, June 20. Right here’s what to anticipate.
This partnership has been within the rumor pipeline for some time now. Again in January, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Meta was getting ready a brand new set of good glasses below the Oakley model, geared toward cyclists and different athletes.
In contrast to the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, which concentrate on informal, on a regular basis use with a digicam discreetly constructed into the temple, the Oakley mannequin is claimed to characteristic a center-mounted digicam, one thing extra consistent with motion cams just like the GoPro, designed for sporty, on-the-move recording.
The good glasses race is heating up
By all accounts, Meta’s Ray-Bans have turned out to be a shock hit. Earlier this yr, the corporate introduced it had shipped over 2 million models, with plans to scale manufacturing to 10 million models yearly by the tip of 2026. The timing, coinciding with the broader AI assistant increase, has undoubtedly helped.
Google has taken discover, too. The corporate just lately introduced new good glasses partnerships with Warby Parker, Light Monster, and Kering Eyewear, all operating on Android XR.
In the meantime, Apple appears to be fast-tracking its personal good glasses venture. Bloomberg just lately reported that Apple has accelerated its personal plans for AI-powered good glasses, now concentrating on a launch by the tip of 2026.
In keeping with the report, Apple will start producing giant portions of prototypes with suppliers later this yr, with the venture being led by the Imaginative and prescient Merchandise Group, the identical crew behind Imaginative and prescient Professional.
When it comes to options, Apple’s first-gen good glasses are anticipated to lean closely into AI-powered assistive features like real-world scene evaluation, voice enter through Siri, cellphone calls, music playback, turn-by-turn instructions, and reside translation.
The {hardware} will reportedly embrace cameras, microphones, and audio system, drawing direct comparisons to Meta’s Ray-Bans (although one supply quoted by Bloomberg described Apple’s take as “much like the Meta product however higher made.”)
9to5Mac’s Take
The wearables market is shifting quick, and Apple doesn’t wish to miss the boat twice. With Meta promoting thousands and thousands of good glasses already, and Google and others leaping in, Apple had little alternative however to drag its timeline ahead. Nonetheless, “by the tip of 2026” seems like an eternity away.
If performed proper, Apple’s eventual good glasses may take pleasure in the identical tight iPhone integration that helped make the Apple Watch and AirPods successful. However with the Oakley | Meta launch coming this week, and rivals additionally accelerating their plans, the clock is ticking, and Apple’s margin for error is rising slimmer by the day.
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