Meta has been dedicated to developing AR glasses for many years, and the latest report from Business Insider suggests that the result of this work - an internal project codenamed "Orion" (Orion) - may be showcased at Meta's annual Connect Developer Conference, meaning that its first AR glasses are expected to be released this autumn. An insider pointed out that AR glasses will not be sold to the public after their release, and a few employees have already started trying the product.
Mark Zuckerberg showcased Meta's smart glasses on Connect in September 2023
Meta is currently holding two well-known hardware products - Ray Ban smart glasses and VR headset Quest, and its AR glasses are independent products. It is understood that the Orion project has been under Meta's Reality Labs department for several years, which is responsible for Meta's AR and VR work, as well as AI and all Metaverse related projects, under the responsibility of Meta's Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth, who reports to Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Earlier this month, Zuckerberg posted a photo on the social media platform Threads showing several versions of Meta glasses on his desk (see image below). A source said that some prototypes of unreleased AR glasses can be seen in the photos, with at least two eyeglass frames much thicker than the Meta smart glasses currently on the market.
Overall, Meta has never given up on developing AR glasses, which has always been seen as an important component of Meta's wearable devices and hardware business. Meta has been developing AR glasses for at least 8 years and has invested billions of dollars in this project.
More and more news shows that Meta's true AR glasses are getting closer and closer to the market.
Bosworth joked in an interview with The Verge in December last year that he expected people to "have the opportunity to experience complete AR glasses in 2024.". He revealed that this AR glasses adopted an "extremely expensive technological path" and claimed that it was the most advanced consumer electronics product in human history. He said, "In the field of consumer electronics, it may be the most advanced product we humans have ever created."
Based on previous revelations from multiple technology media outlets such as The Verge and The Information, a summary of information related to product roadmaps and components is as follows:
2024 is the launch time for this AR glasses, which will use silicon carbide (SiC) lenses for better field of view. Wolfspeed may provide silicon carbide raw materials, and Jeep may assemble them; The original plan was to produce 50000 units, but due to restrictions on the export of silicon carbide materials by the US government, Meta had to assemble lenses locally in the US, resulting in a sharp increase in labor costs. Therefore, Meta may reduce the planned production of the first AR glasses to 1000 units and cancel the public release.
Meanwhile, Meta has decided to use glass lenses in second-generation and third-generation AR glasses instead of the more expensive silicon carbide lenses. Compared to silicon carbide lenses, glass lenses have lower costs but smaller field of view.
By 2027, the company will launch its first AR glasses Artemis for sale to the public.