Tech giant Meta has been looking to expand its line of wearable devices, like watches and earbuds, and integrate its artificial intelligence (AI) into more products.
This move involves developing smart glasses in collaboration with sports eyewear brand Oakley.
Smart glasses are typically marketed towards a general audience and designed for everyday use; however, this Oakley-branded version is set to be geared toward athletes who require specific features for visual comfort, clarity, and protection when outdoors.
The features are speculated to be similar to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses that are already on the market, but the company will have to optimize the frames to consider athlete’s needs. Information on the product is still limited, but the company is planning a 2025 release.
What’s Known So Far
Meta’s new product, internally code-named Supernova 2, is set to be a pair of smart glasses modeled after Oakley’s Sphaera sunglasses and will be aimed toward athletes like cyclists.
The smart glasses would see the camera shift to the center of the frames rather than on the sides.
Meta has already partnered with Ray-Ban to create the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which offer styles based on the brand’s popular designs, such as the Wayfarer.
Meta is going for a similar approach with the Oakley smart glasses by taking cues from the Sphaera model.
The sunglasses are a wraparound shield-style that boasts a weightless feel, a strong grip, and sufficient airflow.
The PRIZM Lens Technology enhances color contrast for visibility, and the design protects the eye from more angles and offers a wide field of view.
It’s an ideal candidate for smart glasses since the design is already suited for various athletes, and the model’s light weight can help it accommodate technology without feeling too heavy.
Potential features and developments
The Sphaera shades are the only model mentioned for the smart glasses design, but the brand has many options that can also work for a high-tech upgrade.
Should Meta decide to create more styles, it can also consider designs inspired by the brand’s glasses for more variation.
Models like the Futurity or Plazlink have a similar futuristic look and may be able to support the tech.
The glasses model can be marketed towards indoor athletes who need vision correction or protection, giving the product line more reach. Other considerations can include sweat resistance, battery life, comfort, and more to make them ideal for sports enthusiasts.
Aside from the camera, there’s little information on the features of the Oakley smart glasses. They may be similar to what the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses already offer.
Wearers can take photos and videos, listen to music, take calls, share posts on Meta’s social media platforms like Instagram, and ask questions or commands to the Meta AI assistant.
Since both brands are under the parent company EssilorLuxottica, with which Meta has entered into a long-term deal, it’s not unlikely that the two models will share features and technology.
The AI assistant will be a likely addition, as Meta has been pushing its development and integration into its platforms and products.
The company has also heavily invested in augmented and virtual reality, which many smart glasses on the market have tapped into.
However, such technology may not be useful for athletes since full visibility is essential for sports.
The Future Of Next-generation Smart Glasses
Smart glasses are nothing new, with brands such as Amazon, Razer, Boze, Snap, and Google all throwing their hats into the ring over the past decade – with mixed results.
Many users complained about the limited functionality, low battery, unflattering design, and subpar user experience with these earlier smart glasses.
However, experts note that Meta and EssilorLuxottica have managed to find the sweet spot for the execution of such a product.
And given what we know about Meta’s new line of Oakley smart glasses and their achievements with the Ray-Ban models, we can anticipate a shift in how people will interact with technology as these become increasingly wearable.
Industries like health, education, manufacturing, logistics, and retail can benefit from hands-free access to information to boost productivity.
Individual consumers would also enjoy conveniences as smart glasses can provide support in navigation, live translation, content creation, and fitness tracking; even those who don’t need corrective eyewear may be encouraged to give these glasses a try, giving eyewear businesses a significant market boost. We may even see a new app economy emerge as more people buy into smart eyewear.
The success of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which have sold two million pairs since their debut, may be setting up a good launch for the athlete-focused Oakley smart glasses.
Though athletes are a smaller target audience, it’s a largely untapped group that may find the frames beneficial and suited to their specific needs.
If Meta and Oakley can create the right product, they may be major market leaders in sports smart glasses that can outpace the competition.
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