The strategy to go with an already well-established brand has been contested by its own creator: Meta introduced Meta Ray-Ban glasses three years ago and created a blueprint which was supposed to explain why suddenly a lot of normal, non-XR people were buying AI glasses.
Now, Meta has announced Meta Glasses; their own „store brand,“ cheaper but supposedly as good as the branded version, which challenges that blueprint. Thomas Bedenk and I, as well as many of you out there, have been asking why Meta is doing that. Sure, cheaper might always be better for wider adoption. Removing a designer glasses brand can make a product cheaper. But will it also remove the appeal? Will people wear glasses with a Meta logo on them? Was Meta forced to go cheaper because the trajectory already showed signs of slowing down? And what role does EssilorLuxottica play in this?
The long-time partner, which is 3% owned by Meta and has a 10-year deal signed up to 2034, is not only profiting hugely from that cooperation. It is also in a situation where it could put pressure on its partner. The Italian-French corporation EssilorLuxottica might even be concerned about its own brand integrity regarding what Meta is doing concerning privacy and AI. Maybe EssilorLuxottica halted further brand cooperation without retracting access to its production facilities, we speculate.
In this episode, we are analyzing Meta’s newest attempt in the smart glasses industry it created, and we share a clear position on whether you should buy these now-cheapest, but still great-looking, smart glasses.

Shownotes
- Meta Launches Cheaper Smart Glasses Without Ray-Ban Branding
- Meta and EssilorLuxottica Launch New Meta Glasses AI Eyewear Line
- We’re Partnering With EssilorLuxottica to Launch Meta Glasses
- Meta Preempts Google’s Gentle Monster Glasses With Kylie Jenner ‚Starfire‘ Design
- Meta Now Sells A Charging Stand For (Most Of) Its Smart Glasses
- Meta Is Giving Free Smart Glasses To Every Blind US Veteran
- Why Meta’s Kylie Jenner Partnership Could Be a Turning Point for Women in Wearable AI — XR Women
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