The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses // #73

wow, that was a mouthful.

The Curious Cat is a journey where I aim to reconnect with my inner-child and explore my curiosity. I pinpoint themes & topics I’ve been interested in within the last 7 days, ask myself questions about them and then write about them. I hope you find value within this issue and have a fantastic day doing what you love.

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Did you hear that Ray-Ban and Meta collaborated to produce a pair of Smart Glasses?

They dropped 2 weeks ago and have made headlines for how stylish yet inconspicuous they are. They blend so seamlessly into one’s everyday look that you hardly realize they're smart glasses.

My mind was blown when we dedicated #61 to Apple’s VisionPro headset, and given they launch in just a few months, today I feel inspired to write about the broader headset market; with a focus on the Ray-Ban Meta Smart glasses (RBMSGs).

Headsets are no established market. Here’s what the landscape currently looks like:

Going from left to right…

MetaQuest is more games focused and costs $500

VisionPro aims to re-invent the computer for $3,500

Google Glass was aborted having failed to create an AR experience back in 2013

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are a PoV camera + bluetooth headphone device for $300

Snapchat’s Spectacles allows users to record what they see and upload it to their Snapchat for $380

The commonality? There is none. All participants are in a race, experimenting and tweaking their products, to discover which strategy will hit first and secure mainstream adoption.

On the left of the spectrum, you have large bulky headsets which teleport their users into another realm; a virtual reality. Buying one of these will set you back a few bob. The expectation is that Moore’s Law will guide these products to evolve into smaller, thinner and lighter hardware until all the technology can be packed into contact lenses.

While the right end of the spectrum focuses more on affordable, somewhat basic glasses. Why basic? Let’s look at the (RBMSGs).

The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses

They are the most normal smart glasses to ever exist. There’s no bulky camera seeping out the side and no cable attached either. The reality is: the timeless Wayfarer model got digitised.

Features

• A wide-lens camera that rolls out decent footage with crisp detail, reliable stabilisation and compelling low light balance.

• 5 microphones (better performance than AirPods and other flagship Bluetooth earbuds)

• A speaker to support calls + media streaming (with bluetooth)

• Touchpad navigation on the side

• Pair with the Meta View app on your phone to get access to MetaAssistant

• Voice control which is best used with MetaAssistant (eg: Hey Meta, take a photo)

• A cool-looking charging case

  

The way I see things, the RBMSGs are a hybrid between a camera, a speaker and a microphone. Okay, cool. So what can we do with them?

(1) Recording PoV - While the handless nature of the RBMSGs makes them well-suited for vloggers and sports, they are especially good for instances where hands are occupied (rowing, riding a bike etc). Wearing these is like having a dashcam attached to your head (yes you can livestream to Facebook + Instagram). A slightly unorthodox use case, but if you ever get attacked or find yourself in a confrontation, you can start recording your perspective with a simple touch of the glasses’ arms. The limitation here is that it’s tricky to frame the shot you want to capture, as the camera is on the side of the frame. Users say that instead of hassling and failing with framing, the more intuitive option is to take their phone out and capture with that instead.

(2) Bluetooth headphone alternative - Given the microphone is significantly better than that of AirPods Pro and that the speaker is also decent, the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses (RBMSGs) could replace one’s current headphones. The coolest part is that these are open-ear headphones…meaning nothing goes into your ear. Instead, music is emitted through a speaker situated near the temples. This way, you can listen to a podcast, and have your ears free to hear your surroundings. I first tried these in 2017 and back then, they were AMAZING. On regular volume, those nearby wouldn’t have the foggiest clue that you’re blasting a killer Spotify playlist.

(3) AI-powered Assistant in your ear - The RBMSGs integrate Meta AI - Meta’s chatGPT and Siri competitor. This opens the door to users engaging with the glasses to spark creativity and get information, without using their hands. Similar to Siri and chatGPT, you can ask questions like “Tell me a joke,” and “Hey Meta, write me a summary of WW2’s main events.” Plus, you can ask MetaAI to compose and send messages to your WhatsApp and Facebook friends.

So they have a few compelling use cases…what’s stopping all of us from wearing them? Maybe our egos.

Let’s rewind 10 years. Out of nowhere, Google launched the world’s first consumer smart glasses - The Google Glass. They never really took off and have been labelled a flop. The reason for their failure is twofold: design and timing.

On one front, the Google Glass failed because they looked dorky. In public, everyone noticed you. But in contrast, the RBMSGs look stylish. They’re also tricky to differentiate from normal Rayban wayfarers, so those nearby are oblivious to the fact that you have a digital recording device on your face. With the discrete RBMSGs, Meta evicted the invasion of privacy individuals cited with Google Glass, as well as the lame appearance it flaunted.

Then you have timing. The Google Glass was ahead of its time. People weren’t yet accustomed to and comfortable with others filming them; and with the Google Glass, everyone knew you could be recording them at any moment. Whereas today, I don’t bat an eye when I notice I quickly feature in the periphery of someone’s video. The idea of technology going on your face was also alien. But now with successful headsets like the Quest and Apple launching their own counterpart, this hurdle is a relic of the past.

And so, the RBMSG likely won’t encounter the same obstacles that led to Google Glass’ demise: lame design and wrong timing. But it will have its own unique challenges impeding mainstream usage. The most pressing one I foresee is a limited real-life use case.

Sure we just covered how the RBMSG can be used for recording, as headphones and as an AI assistant; but it doesn’t do any outstanding job at any of those functions. The recording is inherently flawed with the camera on the side, the microphone is great but the speaker doesn’t compete with regular earbuds (and buyers care more about audio output than input). And last, MetaAI is at the advent of its life and is therefore limited in its capabilities; it currently doesn’t compete with the might of chatGPT. To justify the $300 tag and requirement to wear them to use them, the RBMSG need to do something amazingly well…rather than spreading itself thin across multiple domains. You could say the RBMSGs is a jack of 3 trades, master of none.

The most compelling reason to buy these (from my perspective) is to geek out over new, pioneering technology…rather than for a specific use case.

Bringing this to a close, one takeaway from writing this today is that the tech we’re going to be putting on our faces in 10 years is going to be insane. We’re going to cram smart technology like AI superagents into VR and AR devices and likely use them for every facet of life, like we do with smartphones. But a smartphone lives in your pocket; while headsets reside on your face. This development also nudges us one step closer to the inevitability of becoming cyborgs; where we live symbiotically with machines.