This Meta collaboration could be better than Ray-Ban and Oakley.
And it could make a big change in the world of tech.
There's no denying the prevalence of smart glasses these days. Every major tech brand seems to have an idea of how to make the tech work best, with promises of exciting developments in the coming years.
The most notable current iteration is the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses. Those take the technology from Meta and the styling cues of the classic eyewear brand, resulting in a really compelling package.
There's more coming in that arena, too. The brand are working on a similar collaboration with Oakley, with those said to be aimed at athletes. According to a report from CNBC (via 9to5Google) the brand has taken this stance after seeing Ray-Ban users recording themselves playing sports.
The Oakley models are said to be more costly – around US$360 (approx. £265 / €315 / AU$555) – on account of a higher weather resistance rating. That will certainly be handy for those engaged in intense activity.
Still, for me, it's not the most exciting part. That's because a similar partnership is said to be in play with Prada. The eyewear side of that brand is licensed through EssilorLuxottica – as are Ray-Ban and Oakley.
For me, this is the most significant development of the three. While Ray-Ban will always be first and Oakley sounds like it will have some of the better tech, Prada could do something which has long been the struggle for tech – make it sexy.
Pairing with a luxury brand is the perfect way to move smart glasses out of the nerdy plaything realm and place it into a much more desirable arena. There's no word on when the Prada collaboration is going to hit the market, but for me it can't come soon enough.
I recently got a pair of Cartier glasses from a luxury online optician, and the Prada Meta smart glasses would make a handsome pairing for those frames.
