Meta is launching two new prescription-focused smart glasses this week, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports.
Journalist Janko Roettgers first spotted two new smart glasses from Meta pass US FCC certification. The models are identified as Scriber and Blazer, though it’s unclear whether these are codenames or the actual product names.
Then, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman released a report with claimed details of what Scriber and Blazer will be. According to Gurman, both models will be intended for prescription wearers, come in rectangular and rounded styles, and be sold “primarily through traditional prescription eyewear channels”.
There is no suggestion that Scriber and Blazer will have a display. They’ll almost certainly be displayless, like all Meta’s other smart glasses except for Meta Ray-Ban Display.
Meta Ray-Ban Display Prescription Lenses: What You Need To Know
Looking to use Meta Ray-Ban Display as your everyday prescription glasses? Here’s a rundown of what prescriptions it supports, and how that works.
All Meta’s existing smart glasses already support prescription lenses, including Meta Ray-Ban Display, with EssilorLuxottica’s Ray-Ban and Sunglass Hut stores providing official options and dozens of third-parties offering cheaper alternatives.
Their design and marketing is primarily as sunglasses, though, and they’re significantly heavier than most regular prescription glasses.
While Bloomberg’s report doesn’t say anything about a weight reduction, this would be the most obvious way for Meta and EssilorLuxottica to distinguish new smart glasses from what they already sell. That might mean trading off some battery life, or using a newer more efficient chip. Could we be in store for a Snapdragon AR1 Gen 2 from Qualcomm? Or is it too early for that?
Apparent Renders Of Next-Gen Ray-Ban Meta Glasses Leak
Apparent renders of next-gen Ray-Ban Meta glasses have leaked on Chinese social media, showing distinct designs for optical glasses and sunglasses.
As to what Scriber and Blazer may look like, we should note that last year apparent renders of new Meta smart glasses leaked on Chinese social media, and one of the designs was labeled “Ray-Ban Meta 3 Optical”. It was said to be codenamed Bellini.
We’ll keep an eye on Meta and EssilorLuxottica this week for any sign of an official announcement, and bring you all the details when or if it comes.
UploadVR’s Kyle Riesenbeck is a self-described “bespectacled individual”, and we’ll be curious to see whether Meta’s first effort at a prescription-focused product is good enough to tempt him to adopt smart glasses for his everyday eyewear.
