At its annual Connect conference in Menlo Park, Meta stepped into a long-imagined future by unveiling the first consumer smart glasses with a built-in display — a $799 wager that the face, not the hand, will become humanity's primary interface with artificial intelligence. CEO Mark Zuckerberg framed the Ray-Ban Display glasses not merely as a gadget but as a vessel for what he calls 'superintelligence,' a vision of technology that augments presence rather than displacing it. The launch arrives at a moment of competitive urgency and reputational complexity, positioning Meta at the frontier of w
Meta Launches Ray-Ban Display Smart Glasses at $799, Betting on AI-Powered Wearables
Glasses are the ideal form factor for personal superintelligence
Mark
So Meta is betting that glasses are the future of AI. But $799 is a lot of money for something that doesn't have proven software yet.
Mimi
Right, and that's what Zuckerberg is essentially saying—this is the hardware foundation. The real product, the thing people will actually want, comes in 2027 with Orion. This is the stepping stone.
Luke
But stepping stones only work if people buy them. The analysts are saying sales won't be strong. So what's the actual market here in 2025?
Mimi
Probably early adopters and people already invested in Meta's ecosystem. The real test is whether the software catches up fast enough to make the device useful.
Mark
The wristband controller—that's interesting. Why not just voice commands?
Mimi
Gesture control is more discreet, less socially awkward than talking to your glasses in public. But it adds complexity and another device to manage.
Luke
And we don't know yet if people will actually use it. The demo itself had technical failures. That matters.
Mimi
It does. Zuckerberg joked about it, the crowd cheered, but it signals the product isn't fully baked.
Mark
What about the Oakley glasses at $499? Are those more likely to succeed?
Mimi
They're targeting a specific use case—athletes who already use fitness apps. That's a narrower but potentially more committed market than general consumers.
Luke
Still, $499 for sports glasses when you can get good fitness trackers for a fraction of that. The value proposition has to be crystal clear.
Mark
And Meta is facing child safety scandals right now. Does that affect how people perceive these glasses?
Mimi
It should. VR and wearables raise privacy and safety questions that Meta hasn't fully addressed. Launching new hardware while whistleblowers are talking about research suppression is awkward timing.
El Pulso
- Meta is racing to reclaim AI relevance after falling behind OpenAI and Google, pouring tens of billions into chips, talent, and now hardware that puts AI directly on the user's face.
- The $799 Ray-Ban Display glasses — shipping September 30 with a gesture-reading wristband — represent a bold price point for a product category that has yet to prove itself to mainstream consumers.
- A live demo stumbled when a call failed to connect mid-presentation, and analysts warn the software ecosystem is too thin to support broad adoption anytime soon.
- Analysts frame this launch less as a commercial breakthrough and more as a bridge — a necessary step toward Meta's 2027 'Orion' glasses, the product Zuckerberg calls 'the time machine to the future.'
- The announcement lands under the shadow of child safety controversies on Meta's platforms, reminding observers that the company's technological ambitions are entangled with unresolved questions about societal harm.
At its annual Connect conference in Menlo Park, Meta stepped into a long-imagined future by unveiling the first consumer smart glasses with a built-in display — a $799 wager that the face, not the hand, will become humanity's primary interface with artificial intelligence. CEO Mark Zuckerberg framed the Ray-Ban Display glasses not merely as a gadget but as a vessel for what he calls 'superintelligence,' a vision of technology that augments presence rather than displacing it. The launch arrives at a moment of competitive urgency and reputational complexity, positioning Meta at the frontier of wearable computing even as the path from promising prototype to mass adoption remains uncharted.
Meta unveiled its first consumer smart glasses with a built-in display at its annual Connect conference in Menlo Park, California, placing a significant bet that wearable devices will become the dominant gateway to artificial intelligence. The Ray-Ban Display glasses, priced at $799 and shipping September 30, embed a small digital screen in the right lens for notifications and basic tasks, and arrive bundled with a wristband controller that reads hand gestures for responding to texts and calls. CEO Mark Zuckerberg framed the device as the ideal form factor for 'superintelligence' — AI that keeps users present in the world while making them sharper, more communicative, and more aware.
The launch is part of a broader hardware push. Meta also introduced Oakley-branded Vanguard glasses for athletes at $499, designed to sync with fitness platforms like Garmin and Strava, and refreshed its existing display-less Ray-Ban line with longer battery life and an improved camera, though the price rose from $299 to $379. The moves reflect Meta's urgency in a competitive AI landscape where it has trailed rivals like OpenAI and Google, despite early traction in the smart glasses category.
Analysts are measured in their enthusiasm. Industry forecasters see the Display glasses less as an immediate commercial hit and more as a stepping stone toward Meta's planned 2027 'Orion' launch — the product Zuckerberg has called 'the time machine to the future.' A Forrester analyst drew comparisons to Apple's introduction of the Apple Watch, suggesting the form factor is promising but the value proposition still needs proving. IDC projects AR and VR headset shipments will grow nearly 40 percent in 2025 to 14.3 million units, with Meta's cheaper Ray-Ban models driving much of that momentum.
The presentation was not without friction. A live call demonstration failed mid-stage, prompting Zuckerberg to shrug with candid humor before the crowd responded with supportive applause. Analysts praised the hardware's value but flagged the underdeveloped software ecosystem as the critical barrier to mainstream appeal. The launch also unfolded against a backdrop of mounting scrutiny over child safety on Meta's platforms, including reports of chatbots engaging minors in inappropriate conversations and allegations that internal researchers were discouraged from studying virtual reality's effects on children — a reminder that Meta's race toward the next computing platform carries unresolved questions about its broader societal impact.
Meta unveiled its first consumer smart glasses with a built-in display on Wednesday, marking a significant bet that wearable devices will become the primary way people access artificial intelligence. The Ray-Ban Display glasses, priced at $799, feature a small digital screen embedded in the right lens designed for notifications and basic tasks. They will ship on September 30, bundled with a wristband controller that translates hand gestures into commands for responding to texts and calls. CEO Mark Zuckerberg presented the device at Meta's annual Connect conference in Menlo Park, California, framing smart glasses as the ideal form factor for what he calls "superintelligence"—AI capabilities that keep users present in the moment while making them smarter, improving communication, enhancing memory, and sharpening their senses.
The launch represents Meta's latest move in a competitive race where the company has fallen behind rivals like OpenAI and Google in rolling out advanced AI models, despite its early success with smart glasses. Zuckerberg has committed tens of billions of dollars to acquiring cutting-edge AI chips and has launched a talent war to recruit engineers from competitors. The new glasses are part of a broader hardware strategy: Meta also unveiled Oakley-branded Vanguard glasses aimed at athletes, priced at $499 and designed to integrate with fitness platforms like Garmin and Strava to display real-time training data. The company updated its previous Ray-Ban line—which lacks a built-in display—with nearly double the battery life and an improved camera, though the price climbed from $299 to $379.
Despite the fanfare, analysts temper expectations for immediate commercial success. Industry forecasters do not anticipate strong sales for the Display glasses in the near term, viewing them instead as a stepping stone toward Meta's planned 2027 launch of "Orion" glasses, which Zuckerberg has called "the time machine to the future." A Forrester analyst compared the moment to Apple's introduction of the Apple Watch as an alternative to the smartphone, suggesting that while glasses represent an everyday, non-cumbersome form factor, Meta must still convince consumers that the benefits justify the cost. IDC forecasts that worldwide shipments of augmented reality and virtual reality headsets and display-less smart glasses will grow 39.2 percent in 2025 to 14.3 million units, with Meta driving much of that growth through demand for its cheaper Ray-Ban models made with EssilorLuxottica.
The presentation itself encountered technical friction. During Zuckerberg's demonstration, a call to the glasses failed to connect. "I don't know what to tell you guys," he said. "I keep on messing this up." The audience responded with supportive applause. Industry analysts acknowledged the hardware's value proposition—one IDC researcher called it "great value for the tech you're getting"—but flagged a critical gap: the software ecosystem remains underdeveloped. Until applications and services catch up to the device's capabilities, the Display glasses are unlikely to appeal to mainstream consumers who lack familiarity with or interest in the category.
The timing of the announcement comes as Meta faces mounting scrutiny over child safety on its social media platforms. Reuters reported in August that Meta chatbots had engaged children in provocative conversations about sex and race. This month, whistleblowers alleged that researchers were instructed not to study the harmful effects of virtual reality on children. The smart glasses launch, while focused on AI potential, unfolds against this backdrop of regulatory and reputational pressure. The company's strategy appears to hinge on establishing wearables as the next computing platform before competitors solidify their positions, even as questions about the technology's societal impact remain unresolved.
Citas Notables
Glasses are the ideal form factor for personal superintelligence, because they let you stay present in the moment while getting access to all of these AI capabilities that make you smarter.— Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO
Until we get there, it's not really a device that the average consumer might know about or care to purchase.— Jitesh Ubrani, IDC research manager, on software maturity
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