In a recent interview with The Verge, Meta’s CTO and Reality Labs chief Andrew Bosworth confirmed several ongoing projects, shed light on the company’s shift towards AI, and announced plans to strengthen its partnership with EssilorLuxottica, the parent company of Ray-Ban.
Earlier this year, Meta restructured Reality Labs to focus more on wearable technology, such as the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, and AI-driven wearables like the updated wrist-worn controller revealed alongside the Orion AR glasses prototype last month.
Bosworth outlined Meta’s phased approach to product development, starting with a “pre-discovery” phase for prototyping new ideas and moving through discovery, prototyping, and engineering validation before potential market release.
During the interview, Bosworth confirmed Meta’s exploration of earbuds with cameras and a pair of mixed reality goggles in the works, described as “steampunk-like” and expected to launch in 2027 pending successful prototyping and engineering validation.
Additionally, Bosworth confirmed the cancellation of the high-end Quest headset, codenamed La Jolla, which was intended to be the Quest Pro 2. This decision was likely influenced by consumer feedback on high-priced headsets like Quest Pro and Apple Vision Pro.
Reports about Meta’s investment in EssilorLuxottica, the company behind Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, were also confirmed. Meta aims for volume while EssilorLuxottica focuses on margins, with Bosworth expressing excitement about the partnership.
As Meta intensifies its focus on AI-powered devices to keep pace with competitors like Apple, the company is now concurrently developing several products, a departure from its previous approach.
“We don’t want to be caught off guard by a competitor with a clever wearable solution we hadn’t considered,” Bosworth stated. “If there’s a body part suitable for a wearable AI device, we’ve likely explored it.”
Meta recently launched the Quest 3S, a $300 mixed reality headset featuring Quest 3’s chipset and full-color mixed reality capabilities paired with last-gen displays, aiming to replicate the success of Quest 2.
