Is There a Market for Meta's Ray-Ban Display Smart Glasses? (How About the Blind?)

It's not just glitches at the launch of the Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses... The New York Times remains skeptical of its market share:

[Meta's] smart glasses remain a niche. As of February, Meta had sold about two million of its $300 Ray-Ban Meta camera glasses since their 2023 debut, and it hopes to sell 10 million annually by the end of 2026, which is a tiny amount for a company this size. In the last decade, Meta has spent over $100 billion on its virtual and augmented reality division, which includes its smart glasses and is not profitable. Last quarter, the division reported a $4.5 billion loss, nearly the same as a year ago.


'Meta's Smart Glasses Might Make You Smarter. They'll Certainly Make You More Awkward,' joked a recent Wired headline.

But the Wall Street Journal does report there's 'a growing group of blind users... finding the devices to be more of a life-enhancing tool than a cool accessory.' Jonathan Mosen, executive director at the nonprofit National Federation of the Blind said he'd like to see Meta continue to invest in the glasses. 'It's giving significant accessibility benefits at a price point people can afford.'
He has used them a few times to record video of ride-share drivers refusing to give him and his wife a ride because she travels with a guide dog. Denying rides to people with service animals is illegal in many countries, including the U.S.

Another concern for blind users is that AI assistants in general are prone to making errors, or so-called hallucinations, which may not be apparent. Aaron Preece, who is blind and editor in chief of American Foundation for the Blind's AccessWorld magazine, said Meta's glasses recently failed to correctly read the number on the door to his home. 'I just can't trust it,' he said. 'It's more of a novelty than something I'd use on a day-to-day basis.'


When it comes to innovative technology, CNET seems more excited about Meta's display-controlling 'neural wristband' accessory. Instead of camera-based hand tracking, these muscle-sensing bands 'can register gestural moves like pinches, taps, thumb swipes, and maybe even typing over time...'

Read more of this story at Slashdot.