So, here’s a weird thing about Meta—they’ve been kind of toying with the idea of having more retail stores. Like, forever. Or at least that’s what this Business Insider thing suggests. They’ve got one lonely store, but rumors are flying that they’re about to go big. Hiring people, planning more stores. But who really knows, right? I mean, is it gonna be just like Apple’s whole store vibe? That’s the buzz, but it’s all kind of hush-hush, so who knows what’s real yet.
Last year, Meta’s pop-up in L.A. got some attention—I mean, people wrote about it. But they’ve been doing this pop-up thing since, what, 2016? Partnering with Best Buy and showing off their XR headsets. I went by one and got totally mesmerized by the tech; it was kinda like stepping into the future for a second.
Anyway, I stumbled across something interesting. The only permanent Meta Store is in Burlingame, California. Random, right? But makes sense since it’s near their Reality Labs. Tried out the Quest stuff and Ray-Ban Meta glasses there—felt like putting on a sci-fi movie.
And those Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, made with EssilorLuxottica—that’s the big deal. Apparently, over a million were sold last year. Zuckerberg called it a good start, which is like, yeah, okay. The goal is to up production to 10 million by 2026. What a leap!
These glasses can do all sorts of cool things—take photos, videos, even come with a Meta AI assistant. They have this off-ear speaker thing going, too. Different styles are already out there, but that’s set to change. Maybe we’ll all be wearing them soon, or maybe they’ll just make us look like wannabe spies—pick your adventure.
Heard from Bloomberg that new smart glasses might be coming, including display options and sporty ones from Oakley. And hold up—Google’s not standing still. They’re releasing their own smart specs soon, teaming up with folks like Warby Parker. It’ll be interesting to see if people actually wear these things or just stick with regular shades.
Oh, and get this—there’s talk of Apple jumping onto this smart glasses train as well. Apparently, they’re working on some super-efficient chip. It’s almost like every tech giant is getting into eyewear right now. Like we’re living in a sci-fi world or something.
