Meta's smart glasses Ray-Ban Stories fails to impress owners - report
Galeanu Mihai
The Ray-Ban smart glasses launched by Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) about two years ago have struggled to catch the eye of the owners, many of whom don't seem to use the devices frequently, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported internal company data.
Fewer than 10% of the glasses, called Ray-Ban Stories, bought since the product was launched in September 2021 are used actively by buyers, according to a company document from February.
The tech giant sold about 300K wearable devices through February, but the company had only about 27K monthly active users, according to the report.
Facebook built the first-generation smart glasses in partnership with EssilorLuxottica â which makes sells glasses brands such as Ray-Ban and Oakley â and the starting price of the product was $299. Ray-Ban Stories enables users to take photos and videos, listen to music and take phone calls.
The product has experienced a 13% return rate, according to the report.
Among the main issues for inadequate consumer experience were certain hardware features including battery life, inability for users to import media from the devices, problems with the audio on the device and issues with voice commands.
"Weâll also need to better understand why users stop using their glasses, how to ensure we are encouraging new feature adoption, and ultimately how to keep our users engaged and retained," as per the document.
Meta intends to launch the second generation of its Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses either in the fall or next spring, the report added citing people with knowledge of the matter.
The new glasses will see an improved battery life, better cameras, and will be available on more models of Ray-Ban's frames. The smart-glasses technology is currently available on three models of Ray-Ban.
The second gen device is expected, like the current one, not to have features of augmented reality (AR). However, Meta executives see the Stories product as a predecessor to AR glasses, which it wishes to launch in the coming years, the report added.
The Facebook parent already has virtual/mixed reality headset on the market and it third-gen Meta Quest 3 is slated to release in fall. Apple (AAPL) also unveiled its AR/VR headset in June but the company reportedly has cut production forecast due to manufacturing woes and is likely to have an appointment-only launch.
The Ray-Ban Stories represent one of the most vital collaborations for Meta's Reality Labs division, which has incurred an operating loss of about $8 billion in H1 2023 and is expected to see its operating loss widen in 2024, the report added citing the executives.
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