Ray-Ban Owner EssilorLuxottica Teams Up With Meta for More Smart Glasses
At least one eyewear company is betting that smart glasses are the way of the future.
EssilorLuxottica, the group that owns Ray-Ban and other eyewear brands, announced on Tuesday that it was entering a long-term partnership with Meta. The two companies, which first collaborated in 2019, will work together into the next decade to develop technologically advanced eyewear products.
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“The incredible work we’ve done with Meta, still in its early stages, has already proven to be an important milestone in our journey to making glasses the gateway to the connected world,” Francesco Milleri, the chairman and CEO of EssilorLuxottica, said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to chart the future of the category together.”
So far, the companies’ collaboration has led to the creation of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, with the second generation of the specs being released in the fall of 2023. Among other features, the shades allow you to make phone calls, capture content, listen to music, and livestream whatever you see. Earlier this year, Ray-Ban even teamed up with Ferrari on a limited-edition pair of the smart glasses: While their functionality was the same, the specs sported the marque’s iconic Prancing Horse logo on the temple.
EssilorLuxottica considers the Ray-Ban Meta glasses to now be a mainstream product, but smart glasses haven’t yet become a must-have accessory among consumers. By dialing up its commitment to the category, though, EssilorLuxottica is hoping that it can lead the way when it comes to wearable tech. Perhaps it will even expand its offerings beyond Ray-Ban, to other brands such as Supreme, Oliver Peoples, Persol, and more.
“I’m proud of the work we’ve done with EssilorLuxottica so far, and I’m excited about our long-term roadmap ahead,” added Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “We have the opportunity to turn glasses into the next major technology platform, and make it fashionable in the process.”
Given the bomb that Google Glass was back when it was released in 2013, perhaps the market is now more accepting of carrying around a computer in your glasses. That’s what EssilorLuxottica and Meta seem to be thinking, at least.
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