Meta and Ray-Ban sign long-term agreement to expand smart glasses cooperation

Meta has signed a long-term agreement with Ray-Ban, continuing its partnership with the company behind the popular sunglass and eyewear brand. The two companies collaborated on their first wearable eyewear product in 2019, and the first smart glasses were launched last year under the Ray-Ban Meta brand in multiple countries (excluding India), quickly outselling their predecessors. Earlier this year, Ray-Ban Meta glasses were updated to add support for new artificial intelligence (AI)-driven features.

EssilorLuxottica, the owner of Ray-Ban and Oakley, announced Tuesday that it had signed an agreement to extend its partnership with Facebook parent Meta. The company said it would develop “multiple generations of smart glasses products” over the next decade, but did not disclose details about the length of the agreement.

Last year, Meta and Ray-Ban launched the latest generation of smart glasses, which support taking images and videos with the built-in 12-megapixel camera, making calls, listening to music and playing streaming content using smart glasses, and can be charged through a carrying case similar to Ray-Ban sunglasses and glasses bags.

Earlier this year, EssilorLuxottica CEO Francesco Milleri said sales of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses had outsold the first generation, which was called the Ray-Ban Story. “People’s expectations are much clearer now… so the second generation has been a success,” Milleri said at an event in July.

Currently, Ray-Ban Meta glasses are available in several countries including Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, UK and the US. The company is yet to launch the wearable smart glasses in India and other major markets.

Meanwhile, Meta’s rival Snap unveiled the fifth-generation Spectacles at the Snap Partner Summit 2024 on Tuesday. Snap’s latest smart glasses come with a more immersive AR display, a micro projector, and are powered by dual Snapdragon processors. They also have a longer battery life on a single charge than their predecessors. Currently, they are only available to those who join Snap’s Spectacles developer program, which costs $99 (roughly Rs. 8,200) per month.