Meta rolls out new AI-infused glasses as Zuck doubles down on his metaverse dreams
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“Hell yeah”... Mark Zuckerberg cheered during yesterday’s Connect developer conference, where the Meta boss unveiled mixed-reality headsets, AI-infused specs, and other tech. The next gen of Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses appears to use the social co’s AI chatbot to analyze what users see and act as a virtual assistant. (Picture: looking at a bowl of fruit and asking what kind of smoothie to make.) Zuck also debuted Meta’s $300 Quest 3S headset. The mixed-reality base model costs $200 less than last year’s Quest 3 and appears to offer similar experiences like gaming and virtual concerts.
Smart sight: Face-worn tech hasn’t really taken off, but Meta’s hoping its style-forward smart glasses (which look like regular Ray-Bans) can cast a wider net.
AR you ready: Zuckerberg showed off a prototype of “full holographic” augmented-reality glasses that he called “the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen.”
Rose-colored headset… Meta’s road to the metaverse has been bumpy. Since changing its name from Facebook in 2021 to signal its expansion beyond social media, the company has spent tens of billions on its virtual ambitions. Meta estimates its capital expenses will hit a record of up to $40B this year as its metaverse division (which includes VR and AR tech) loses about $16B annually. Meta’s ad revenue, which grew 22% in its last reported quarter, is propping up investments on those big bets.
The vision’s unclear… Meta’s new hardware could give investors hope that its massive investments might pay off. But only if folks want to buy it. So far consumers have shown underwhelming interest in face gadgets. Snap Spectacles and Google Glass flopped, and Apple’s $3.5K Vision Pro headset has failed to appeal to a wide audience. It’s unclear whether Meta’s Quest headsets and Ray-Ban smart glasses will make it into the mainstream.