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Do you remember Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses from 2023? You probably do (since we just mentioned them in class), but they weren’t exactly ground-breaking. But on September 30th, the second generation is being released, and this time the air smells different.
This iteration of the Meta Ray-Ban Display features an in-lens display visible only to the wearer, marking a significant step toward AR technology. While it isn’t true Augmented Reality yet, since the display doesn’t interact with your surroundings, this is a sign that the technology is rapidly advancing in that direction. More interesting is how you control it. The glasses connect to a neural wristband, a watch-style band that detects electrical impulses from your wrist muscles. This means you can control the display with subtle gestures, even from inside your pocket, unlike older camera-based tracking systems.
But is this truly disruptive? Not yet. At $800, it’s positioned like a flagship phone, but still lacks a broad app ecosystem. There is also a social barrier: are people willing to accept chunky glasses and an always-ready camera in shared spaces? Secondly, Meta´s reputation is fragile when it comes to trust and privacy. Clear recording indicators, strict on-device processing, and transparent data will matter just as much as the spec sheets. Also, the possibility of ads or brand placements drifting into your field of view is non-zero. One thing is sure, stronger privacy regulation will be crucial.
If those concerns are addressed, the upside is real: live captioning and translation, live guided navigation, quick capture and messaging, all controlled with a flick of fingers from a pocket.
But your phone can breathe a sigh of relief…
(for now)
References:
https://www.meta.com/nl/en/ai-glasses/meta-ray-ban-display
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/sep/17/meta-ray-ban-smart-glasses
