The Meta glasses, priced at $300, claim to enhance the experience of “living in the moment” by allowing users to share their perspective with the world through photo and video capture without the need to hold up a phone. Tested over the past two weeks, the Ray-Ban Meta glasses incorporate a discreet camera for capturing media, along with speakers and microphones for music and phone calls. Meta envisions these glasses as part of a broader shift in Silicon Valley, aiming to move away from screens and toward facial interaction as seen with mixed-reality headsets.
Silicon Valley giants like Meta, Apple, and Magic Leap are promoting mixed-reality headsets that employ cameras to enable software interaction with the real world. The Meta glasses, with a minimalist design, exemplify the potential aesthetics of successful smart glasses. In a recent Instagram video, Mark Zuckerberg showcased the glasses’ AI capabilities, demonstrating how they could assist in selecting matching clothing items.
While companies anticipate that wearable face computers could revolutionize daily life and work, past attempts, like Google Glass and Snap’s Spectacles, have faced challenges due to their bulky and unappealing designs. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses, with their sleek and lightweight design, aim to overcome these hurdles and seamlessly integrate into everyday life, going unnoticed by observers.
However, the wearer notes concerns about privacy implications and the potential impact on focus. Despite the company’s emphasis on privacy during the glasses’ design, the glasses’ constant recording capability raises privacy issues. The wearer also experienced distraction while engaging in various activities, including work, cooking, and outdoor activities. The glasses, despite their comfortable and stylish design, seemed to contribute to a sense of distraction even when not actively using their features.
The wearer expressed worries about the glasses’ impact on concentration, especially during activities like driving, where reflections from headlights created a distracting effect. Despite Meta’s safety guidelines, the wearer found the glasses added an unnecessary layer of distraction and preoccupation during routine tasks.
A photography teacher, Ben Long, expressed skepticism about the Meta glasses’ claim to help people remain present, suggesting that the presence of a camera may inherently divert attention from the moment to the prospect of recording and presenting.
