Meta Platform’s line of high-tech Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses, much like the Metaverse itself, is struggling to take off with customers. Despite a promising product launch in late 2021, internal company documents show that those who bought the glasses are only using them infrequently, putting the anticipated launch of the line’s second generation in jeopardy.
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Created in partnerships with eyewear manufacturer EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban Stories was first released in September 2021, one month before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the company’s rebrand as Meta. The line of smart glasses, a key part of Meta’s software strategy, allows users to take photos/videos, play music, and make phone calls—but it seems these cutting-edge features aren’t enough to keep users interested.
Between September 2021 and February 2023, Meta sold more than 300,000 pairs of glasses but reported only 27,000 active users per month—less than 10% of the customer base—according to an internal report reviewed by the Wall Street Journal. The report also found a 13% return rate from customers.
The most common causes of the negative user experience are poor battery life, connectivity issues, substandard sound quality, and problems with voice command features. “We’ll also need to better understand why users stop using their glasses, how to ensure we are encouraging new feature adoption, and ultimately how to keep our users engaged and retained,” the report said.
Meta has announced that the upcoming second generation of Ray-Ban Stories will address many of these issues and feature improved cameras and more frame options. However, with Meta’s Reality Labs division (under which the smart glasses project falls) posting an operating loss of nearly $8 billion in the first six months of 2023, it’s clear that the company strategy will need to change if Meta is to remain a dominant player in the Augmented Reality marketplace.
The next generation of Ray-Ban Stories is expected to release between fall 2023 and spring 2024.
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