The Ray-Ban Meta good glasses have been an sudden success, promoting two million pairs since debuting in October 2023. Final yr, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg mentioned that demand for the glasses “remains to be outpacing our means to construct them.” The corporate has plans to promote 10 million glasses every year by the tip of 2026.
Now eyewear firm EssilorLuxottica, which partnered with Meta to provide the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, says that gross sales of the eyewear have greater than tripled within the first half of the yr, in comparison with the identical time final yr, and considerably contributed to the corporate’s total income.
In its newest earnings report on Monday, EssilorLuxottica said that the glasses contributed to its total gross sales of $16.25 billion within the first half of the yr, a 7.3% improve from final yr. The corporate mentioned within the earnings report that the Ray-Ban Meta glasses have been the No. 1 bestselling AI glasses on the worldwide market, experiencing “category-defining success.”
“We’re main the transformation of glasses as the following computing platform,” Francesco Milleri, chairman and CEO of EssilorLuxottica, and Paul du Saillant, deputy CEO of the corporate, collectively said within the earnings report.
The Ray-Ban Meta glasses are so well-liked that final month, Meta introduced a sportier, waterproof model, the Oakley Meta glasses, additionally in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, and acquired a stake price $3.5 billion within the eyewear firm, signaling a long-term funding. The Oakley Meta frames have bought out on Meta’s website on the time of writing.
Milleri and du Saillant cited “the success of Ray-Ban Meta” and “the launch of Oakley Meta” as “main milestones” for EssilorLuxottica within the earnings report.
Each the $299 Ray-Ban Meta and the $499 Oakley Meta glasses permit customers to take pictures and movies, make calls, ship textual content messages via voice instructions, work together with Meta AI, and play music. The Oakley Meta frames are a step up from the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, with higher-resolution recording, higher audio system, and a 40% longer battery life lasting as much as eight hours.
Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg by way of Getty Pictures
Meta can be reportedly working to increase its good glasses portfolio by creating a pair of high-fashion AI glasses with Prada. Prada renewed an eyewear licensing settlement with EssilorLuxottica for the following ten years in December.
Associated: Apple Is Reportedly Creating AI Good Glasses to Compete with Meta and Google
In the meantime, different main tech firms, together with Apple and Google, are getting ready to enter the good glasses market following Meta’s success. Bloomberg reported earlier this yr that Apple is engaged on good glasses that could possibly be launched by the tip of 2026, and is getting ready to distinguish the glasses with a brand new chip that might elevate their efficiency.
Whereas Apple works behind the scenes, Google made a formal announcement in Could that it was committing $150 million to develop AI glasses with Warby Parker. The glasses could have AI options, like translating from one language to a different in real-time, and are anticipated to launch subsequent yr.
Be a part of prime CEOs, founders and operators on the Stage Up convention to unlock methods for scaling your corporation, boosting income and constructing sustainable success.