Meta might have a sizable lead in the smart glasses space, but clearly, it’s not content with coasting. According to a new report from The Information, Meta has a ton of smart glasses incoming, including one pair that may drop as soon as next month. That pair, according to Meta, is nicknamed “Modelo” (yes, like the beer), though there’s no real information on what it may bring to the table.
If a new model next month wasn’t enough, Meta also reportedly has two more planned for the fall, including one codenamed “Luna” and another codenamed “RBM2 Refresh.” Though the name “Luna” might not give us much to go on, I’m going to go out on a limb and say the RBM2 Refresh is another update to the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, which were unveiled last fall during the company’s annual Connect conference. Upgrades back then included a longer battery life and better recording features.
But, wait, there’s more: in addition to the fall releases, The Information reports that Meta also has a pair slated for December, codenamed “Mojito VIP.” There are also two prototypes being tested in the fall, according to the report, including one called “Artemis” and another called “SSG,” which is short for “supersensing glasses.”
The Information previously reported that the “supersensing” pair would have always-on cameras capable of looking at your surroundings without you having to prompt the voice assistant or activate the camera with a button. The idea here is that, with a constant stream of visual information, the smart glasses could be a kind of ambient virtual assistant that remembers where you left your keys or other vision-based reminders.
Needless to say, there are a lot of problems with that idea, including privacy (you cannot and should not be recording all the time), and battery life, which would, without a doubt, take a massive hit if cameras were constantly activated.
The fact is, though, not much seems to be stopping Meta from plowing forward on the smart glasses front. Not heated competition from Samsung, Google, and possibly Apple. Not regulatory concerns over its reported interest in facial recognition. Not all sorts of pushback over privacy. Nothing. For smart glasses, it looks like this year is shaping up to be another big one, whether you’re a fan of face-worn wearables or not.
