WSJ Reports Citing Internal Documents on the 2nd: Total Sales of 300,000 Units
"2nd Generation to Launch as Early as Fall... Price Undecided"
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has internally reported that the monthly active usage rate of its smart glasses launched two years ago is less than 10%. Although it is essentially a failure due to insufficient user satisfaction, Meta is reportedly planning to release a second-generation product to the public soon. Despite increasing cumulative losses, this move is interpreted as an effort to secure key technologies given the promising future market growth.
On the 2nd (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) cited Meta's internal documents, reporting that the total sales of Meta's smart glasses 'Ray-Ban Stories,' launched in September 2021, reached 300,000 units as of last February. Among these, the number of monthly active users was 27,000, falling below 10%. The cumulative loss for the first half of this year is also known to have reached $8 billion (approximately 10.38 trillion KRW).
Meta's Ray-Ban Stories are smart glasses equipped with dual 5-megapixel cameras installed on regular Ray-Ban sunglasses, allowing users to take photos and videos. When connected to a smartphone, the captured photos can be saved immediately or shared on Facebook. The glasses also feature voice capabilities for listening to music and answering calls.
The biggest feature of Ray-Ban Stories is its design, which is identical to regular sunglasses. As a product co-created with the famous sunglasses brand Ray-Ban, it can also be used as a fashion item. While big tech companies including Apple are accelerating the development of headsets showcasing virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), their bulky designs pose obstacles to mass adoption, contrasting with Ray-Ban Stories.
However, given the excellent camera performance built into smartphones and the widespread adoption of wireless earphones, the necessity to purchase or continuously use smart glasses with camera and voice functions is not high.
In particular, Meta has identified issues such as limited battery capacity making long-term use difficult, and connectivity problems occurring during the transfer of photos taken with Ray-Ban Stories to smartphones. Meta also judged that the audio and voice command functions do not work properly.
Despite the practical failure of its first smart glasses release, Meta is reportedly preparing the 'Ray-Ban Stories 2nd generation.' The company plans to significantly enhance the quality of its functions before launch. The release is expected as early as this fall ahead of the year-end shopping season or next spring.
Like the first generation, the second generation is expected to maintain the form of regular sunglasses and will not include virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) features. However, Meta executives view this device as a precursor to AR headsets expected to be released within the next few years. Meta is focusing on expanding its Quest business, which includes headsets equipped with VR, MR, and AR technologies.
The Ray-Ban Stories 2nd generation is also expected to be released based on a partnership between Meta and EssilorLuxottica, the Italian-French joint venture that owns the Ray-Ban brand. WSJ introduced this partnership as one of the most important for Reality Labs, Meta’s division responsible for future businesses such as the metaverse.
The current price of the first-generation Ray-Ban Stories is $299, and WSJ reported that they are being sold at a 30% discount on the Ray-Ban website. In South Korea, the product cannot be purchased through the website, with a notice displayed. The pricing for the second generation has not yet been determined.
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