Meta declared on Friday that it has teamed up with Oakley to release what it calls Performance AI glasses: the conglomerate's latest offering in wearable technology, following the success of its Ray-Ban Meta glasses, launched two years ago.
EssilorLuxottica, which owns Ray-Ban, decided to partner Meta up with their next best-selling sunglass brand, Oakley, as consumer interest in wearable AI-powered devices surged after the Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses sold roughly 2 million units since its launch.
However, those fast-selling glasses were “never meant to be the one and only thing we did with EssilorLuxottica”, explained Alex Himel, VP of wearables at Meta, in an interview with WIRED.
He added that an increasing number of people had been using the Ray-Ban Meta glasses for “active-use”, which led to the Oakley Meta AI glasses range being targeted at performance markets too.
Meta explained that the Oakley HSTN glasses would be the first to be made into Oakley Meta glasses that boast a hands-free high-resolution camera that can reportedly shoot upto 3K video, open-ear speakers and water resistance, plus other standard Meta AI capabilities.
Meta said that the product line would soon be launched in North America, Australia and several European countries. The company also plans to introduce the range in Mexico, India and the United Arab Emirates later this year. The range is also set to debut at marquee sporting events such as the Fanatics Fest and the UFC International Fight Week—both of which take place in June—with appearances to come this year.
With EssilorLuxottica set to ramp up the production of smart glasses to 10 million per year by 2026, Meta has a number of options for future collaborations with brands like Chanel, Prada, and Dolce & Gabbana.
“We have already learned how to scale much more quickly, but there are still a good set of technical and operational problems to solve before we get there. But that's something we're excited to do, and this is definitely a step in that direction,” Himel added.