Meta will launch a new pair of smart AI glasses under the Oakley brand later this week, as the company rushes to expand the reach of high-tech, lightweight eyewear to even more users.
The $1.75 trillion social media giant already sells successful Ray-Ban smart glasses in partnership with the European eyewear group EssilorLuxottica, the world’s largest eyewear manufacturer and retailer. The Italian company owns brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley and holds licensing rights for fashion brands such as Prada and Chanel for their eyewear.
The Californian label Oakley is known for sports-specific tech products and eyewear with retro-futuristic designs. The first pair of Oakley smart glasses that Meta plans to introduce on June 20 is likely aimed at athletes, a market the brand is known for. Traditionally, Oakley eyewear feature molded frames and are designed for outdoor use.
Oakley was founded by motocross enthusiast Jim Jannard in 1975 and was sold to Luxottica for $2.1 billion in 2007. Meta found a hit with the second-generation Ray-Ban smart glasses it launched in 2023. That version comes with Meta AI assistant and This lets the view from the glasses’ camera feed into what the AI assistant tells you during interactions. EssilorLuxottica CEO Francesco Milleri said in February the companies have sold 2 million pairs of the Meta Ray-Ban glasses since 2023
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a long term vision to make smart glasses replacing smartphones as the main computing device. In September last year, Meta unveiled its augmented reality smart glasses prototype Orion. The glasses feature compact design, lightweight frame and built-in displays, which overlays 3D content onto the real world.
The Oakley-branded smart glasses may cost $360, CNBC reported on Tuesday. Bloomberg reported in January that the Oakley glasses are set to launch later this year and that the camera will be positioned at the center of the frames, as opposed to the sides, as seen on the Ray-Ban glasses. CNBC also reports that Meta will be launching Prada-branded smart glasses aimed at high-fashion consumers; however, the launch date is still unknown.
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