Facebook parent company Meta Platforms is reportedly planning to add displays to its Ray-Ban branded smart glasses next year as it "accelerates" its smart glasses rollout. Meta stock gained in trading Monday.
The Financial Times reported that Meta could release an updated version of its $299 Meta Ray-Ban glasses in the second half of 2025. The update would include a small display to show notifications and responses from Meta's AI assistant, according to the report, which cited anonymous sources. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses — which launched in 2021 — have proved a surprise hit for the social media giant's money-losing metaverse efforts. Meta recently expanded its partnership with Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica. Longer term, Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has described smart glasses as the next "computing platform" and Meta is investing billions in developing augmented-reality glasses that can integrate AI and other capabilities into their wearer's field of view.
Meta's Smart Glasses Efforts 'Accelerate'
The FT report added that Meta also has "accelerated" efforts to develop its Orion augmented-reality glasses. In September, Zuckerberg unveiled a prototype of Orion that he compared to a time machine. The glasses project virtual objects into their frame that can allow for video calls, notifications and other computing capabilities.
But the Orion glasses are still just a prototype for developers to work with. A consumer product could still be "years away," the FT report cautioned. Zuckerberg used similar language when he presented the product in September.
Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, meanwhile, can snap pictures and take video. They also allow users to play music and ask questions to Meta's AI assistant through built-in speakers and microphones. Meta launched a group of new AI capabilities in a product update earlier this month, including live translations.
In a blog post last week, Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth said the "next big step" toward the metaverse envisioned by the company's Reality Labs division is combining AI glasses with augmented-reality experiences. He said glasses are proving they are the best hardware for integrating AI capabilities.
"You're seeing phone and PC makers scramble to rebuild their products to put AI assistants at their core," Bosworth wrote. "But I think a much bigger opportunity is to make devices that are AI-native from the start, and I'm confident that glasses are going to be the first to get there."
Meta Stock Finds Support At 50-Day Line
On the stock market today, Meta stock gained 2.5% at close at 599.85. Shares of the tech giant bounced back after closing lower four consecutive days last week.
Meta stock fell 5.6% last week overall, dropping below a 602.95 flat base buy point. But shares found support at the 50-day moving average in Monday trading.
The Facebook parent's stock broke out from a flat base chart pattern on Dec. 3 and climbed to reach a record 638.40 on Dec. 11 before this recent pullback.
Meta has gained 69% year to date. The social media giant's stock has an IBD Composite Rating of 97 out of 99, per IBD Stock Checkup. It is the third highest-rated stock out of 69 members in the internet content group tracked by IBD.
