For the billions of people who rely on corrective glasses every day (including me), smart glasses have always been a slightly awkward conversation. Sure, you can already pick up Ray-Ban Meta frames with your prescription built in, but it looks like Meta has something better in store for us.
According to a Bloomberg report, Meta is working on two new AI glasses designed specifically for prescription wearers rather than treating them as an add-on afterthought. The models could arrive in rectangular and rounded frame styles. Unlike current offerings, they will be sold through conventional prescription eyewear retailers.
Will the new prescription-friendly glasses look any different?
This could be the first time the Meta and Ray-Ban collaboration has directly aimed its vision-corrected crown at the primary audience. However, that is the extent of the information the outlet provides. There’s no word on how the frames might differ physically from the current models.
However, if I were to speculate, it could have something to do with the lens housing, thickness, and the weight of the glasses.
Beyond the hardware, I feel, what would truly make the purported AI glasses prescription-friendly is the ability to talk to any neighbourhood optician and have them work on it. That kind of accessibility could really make the glasses prescription-friendly.
What else do we know about Meta’s upcoming smart glasses?
The Verge separately flagged FCC listings for the purported glasses internally codenamed “Scriber” and “Blazer.” Both are listed as production units, which typically signals a launch isn’t quite far off. A detail that stands out is that Blazer might come in a larger size than Scriber.
Both models should also support Wi-Fi 6 UNII-4 band, something that the current Ray-Ban smart glasses lack. It would open the door to faster data transfer, and perhaps to livestreaming. Anyways, no display is expected on either model.
What’s clear, however, is that Meta is eyeing prescription wearers as the biggest untapped market for its smart glasses.
