Meta debuts US$349 camera-free Ray-Bans and brings Muse to glasses
Meta has launched a camera-free version of its Ray-Ban smart glasses to address ongoing privacy concerns regarding recording capabilities. The new audio-focused model is lighter and cheaper, reflecting the company's strategy to prioritize popular audio features while navigating global privacy debates.
Why it matters
This product pivot demonstrates how tech giants are adapting hardware designs to mitigate public backlash and regulatory scrutiny over surveillance and privacy.
META Platforms is expanding its smart-glasses lineup with camera-free models, support for the popular new Muse assistant and a hearing-aid mode.
At its Connect conference on Wednesday (Sep 23), the social media giant unveiled the Ray-Ban Meta Audio, its first pair of glasses without cameras. The company also introduced a third-generation model of its camera-equipped Ray-Ban spectacles and new versions of its more affordable Meta-branded frames.
The new audio-focused glasses give Meta a way to revisit a product category that has sparked outcry over privacy issues. Meta and the broader smart-glasses industry have faced concerns that the devices’ cameras can record people without their knowledge or consent.
In an interview, chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth said the audio-only glasses were added to the company’s product road map about two years ago because audio “remains the most popular feature in the glasses.”
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8 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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