Meta's smart glasses partnership with EssilorLuxottica has reached a significant milestone, with the latter announcing that it has sold 2 million pairs of Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses since their October 2023 debut. This exceeds Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's earlier remarks, which suggested sales of 1 million pairs in 2024, with the possibility of reaching 2 million or even 5 million by the end of 2025.

During EssilorLuxottica's FY2024 financial results call, CEO and chairman Francesco Milleri revealed the company's ambitious plans to produce 10 million Meta glasses annually by the end of 2026. Milleri emphasized that his company is "planning for the long term with Meta" and views Meta's Ray-Bans as a "shared platform" that's "ready to embark on third-party brands," not just a single product. This is further supported by Bloomberg's report last month that Meta is planning Oakley-branded glasses, another EssilorLuxottica brand.

The partnership between Meta and EssilorLuxottica, announced in September, aims to create a comprehensive ecosystem for smart glasses. Milleri hinted that all of Meta's glasses would be "supported by AI," and that subscription services are also in the works. This could potentially revolutionize the way people interact with their daily digital needs, as Milleri envisions a pair of eyeglasses becoming the primary digital platform.

Meta has been investing heavily in its smart glasses, with features like live translations and multimodal AI. While these features have shown promise, they still require refinement. The company has also been aggressive in its marketing efforts, with two Super Bowl ads and a limited-edition Super Bowl set of the shades. Additionally, Meta recently hired the former CEO of luxury goods site The RealReal as its new VP of retail for wearables.

To put the sales figures into perspective, Samsung and Apple each sell over 200 million phones per year. For Meta and EssilorLuxottica to achieve their goal of making smart glasses the primary digital platform, they would need to grow sales by two orders of magnitude. However, with the rapid advancement of technology and the increasing adoption of wearables, this goal may not be as far-fetched as it seems.

Meta is reportedly working on a new pair of glasses with a display, set to launch later in 2025. This will likely be accompanied by a neural wristband that can be used to control the device. As the smart glasses market continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how Meta and its partners adapt and innovate to meet the changing needs of consumers.

In conclusion, the success of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses is a significant milestone in the development of the wearables market. With EssilorLuxottica's plans to produce 10 million units annually and the potential introduction of subscription services, this partnership could be a game-changer for the industry. As the technology continues to advance, it will be exciting to see how Meta and its partners shape the future of smart glasses and beyond.