March 31 (Reuters) – Meta Platforms launched two new Ray-Ban prescription smart glasses on Tuesday, expanding its offerings in an area that has become one of the few breakthrough successes in the race for artificial intelligence-powered gadgets.
The new glasses, which are available for pre-order in the U.S. starting at $499, will broaden options for prescription eyewear users. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in January that “billions of people wear glasses or contacts for vision correction.”
The company said the new products — Ray-Ban Meta Blayzer Optics and the Ray-Ban Meta Scriber Optics — would become available at optical retailers in the U.S. and select international markets on April 14.
The Facebook parent plans to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in its pursuit of “personal superintelligence,” where advanced gadgets, among other things, would bring the benefits of AI to individual users. Meta develops its AI glasses in partnership with Ray-Ban owner EssilorLuxottica.
Last year, Meta launched $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, the company’s first model with a built-in display, enabling users to read messages, follow navigation directions and interact with AI services without using a phone.
Earlier this year, however, Meta delayed its global rollout, citing a supply shortage and strong demand.
The Display smart glasses can also be ordered with prescription lenses for an additional $200.
(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Ananda and Sahal Muhammed)
