Has Meta finally broken the Google Glass curse with its next-gen Orion glasses?

Remember Google Glass and the glassholes? People relentlessly mocked anyone wearing those $1,500 smart glasses, arguably leading to skittishness about wearable technology, particularly anything related to artificial intelligence tools and assistants. But all that’s about to change.

Meta made it clear that there is a much brighter future for AI wearables this week at Meta Connect 2024, bright enough that one of the wearables comes in the form of sunglasses. The company showcased two different types of smart glasses at the event: an upgraded version of the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses and a preview of Orion, smart glasses that employ augmented reality along with AI. 

There have been plenty of other wearables since Google Glass flamed out, but, except for smartwatches, most have either sputtered out or survived only in certain niche roles like Snap’s Spectacles. Even the recent surge in generative AI software hasn’t really cracked the code. Hardware like the Humane AI Pin, the Rabbit R1, and the Plaud.ai NotePin all had a lot of hype around them, but have largely faded from the conversation after the reality didn’t match the promise.

Both Orion and the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses address the biggest problems plaguing those AI wearables, as well as Google Glass, but in different ways. The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are all about fashion and comfort, with the tech designed for subtlety and a non-intrusive AI assistant. They look miles better than Google Glass, which looked like it was built specifically to draw ridicule. And $330 bucks for an AI voice assistant is a tempting offer for any fan of AI helpers who don’t want to advertise that they are using one. Meta’s smart glasses are also more functional than the admittedly discreet AI pins that have attracted intense, if brief, interest this year. Real-time translation and the ability to use built-in cameras to answer questions about the world around you make for a product that prefers usability over novelty. 

Orion’s Star Quality

Meta discarded much of the understated approach of the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses with Orion and its combination of AR and AI. While not ready for shipping yet, the prototype offers a much more immersive experience that could be both useful and distracting. It’s a risk since distraction was another element that made people dislike the Google Glass look, and the possible discomfort people might feel around the AI wearable pins always listening might be even higher when there are cameras and visual information involved. 

The hand and eye-tracking in Orion also make for a less obvious control method, but they’ll still be obvious for what they are based on the current design, even if Meta reduces its size somewhat. No price has been mentioned yet, either, but if Meta really wants to see Orion fly off the shelf, it may have to pick a number under $1,500. Keeping Orion off the market until its ready will likely help boost those sales eventually. 

I’m skeptical about whether Meta has really cracked the AI wearable design with its two smart glasses models. The Ray-Bans seem underpowered for a daily wearable, while Orion feels either too complex for smart glasses or not advanced enough to be a real gaming headset. Personally, I think North and its Focals smartglasses were the best design concept for wearable tech, but Google bought and seemingly buried all of the patents and research it acquired. Still, Meta has a lot of resources tied up in this hardware and is willing to spend time and money to sharpen its focus on its vision of wearable technology. 

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