It is better to be fashionably late than horribly early. Just ask the tech bros. Google and Snap both scrapped early efforts on smart glasses more than a decade ago, the latter subsequently writing off $40mn of excess inventory in the process. Now Meta, marrying artificial intelligence with EssilorLuxottica’s timelessly cool Ray-Ban glasses, is seeing better results.
Developing new hardware has always been tough, requiring sleek looks and utility at an affordable price. Flops abound: recall laser discs, 3D TVs and the shortlived Juicero, a $400 connected bit of kit for squeezing pre-packed fruit. Like software and fashion, the network effect still holds: popularity begets popularity.
That elusive quality is now within tantalising reach for smart glasses. Globally, sales in the first half of 2025 more than doubled compared with the same period last year, according to consultancy Counterpoint, with Meta’s Ray-Bans dominating shipments. Last year’s total sales of 3.3mn units will nearly quadruple in 2026, reckons ABI Research, creating a $7.8bn market.