Wagner James Au / New World Notes

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Survey: How Often Do You See People Using Meta Ray-Bans AR / AI Glasses in Public?

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Note: Survey may be difficult to take on a smartphone — use PC/laptop for best results

On average, when you're out in public (parks, streets, restaurants, etc.), how often do you notice people wearing and using Meta Ray-Bans to take photos, access AI, etc? Please choose the closest answer to your experience and read on, for context. (I'll share the results next week.)

No peeking at the rest of this post until you've taken the survey, please!

 

Meta Glasses usage survey

OK, now that you have taken the survey, here's the thing:

While Meta reports selling over a million units last year, I rarely if ever see anyone actually using Meta Ray-Bans — and I live in Los Angeles, where social media influencers are omnipresent and you actually need sunglasses most of the year, to see through the glare.

When they first went on sale in 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported "less than 10% of [Meta Ray-Bans] were still being actively used."

But perhaps that's changed?

The thought occurred to me today, because the Washington Post just published the first backlash story I'm aware of:

“Can you imagine working a customer service role, crying on your lunch break, and having to worry about someone recording you without you even knowing? Someone wearing Meta glasses and posting you for the world to see on TikTok?” 26-year-old Vanessa Orozco asked Thursday in a TikTok video that now has more than 10 million views. Some commenters said they enjoy the glasses for capturing everyday moments. But many said they wish the gadgets would go away.

So clearly some people are seeing them frequently enough to be upset about them, but who? 

Neil Barbour, Industry Analyst at S&P Global, shares his own company research with me, that 37% of smart glass owners use them daily, while a plurality (46%) used them in "the past week". Which sure seems like infrequent usage, after paying so much for a device. But OK.

"At AWE, I noticed a few guys in the press/analyst class had a pair, but they weren’t wearing them," he tells me by way of anecdote. "Instead, they would pull them out to proclaim something about how much they looked like an average pair of glasses. Then they’d put them back in their case and put their normal glasses back on." (Emph. mine!)

Yes, at AWE: The Augmented World Expo. They were only being briefly used even there! (I hung out with Neil at AWE a bit, and that's roughly my experience with AR glasses sightings too.)

Anyway, survey results shared soon!

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3 responses to “Survey: How Often Do You See People Using Meta Ray-Bans AR / AI Glasses in Public?”

  1. A comment Avatar
    A comment

    Have you tried them? They’re pretty amazing. The fact they have not seen a backlash a la Google Glass is interesting, probably reflective of how difficult it is to walk anywhere public and not see a dozen people with their phones out taking videos regardless.
    They are most useful (in my view) in instances where you might want to take a video / photo but you can’t – you’re biking, hiking, skiing, running, etc. Far better than having a GoPro sticking out of your head. And more pleasant than having AirPods stuffed in your ear canals.

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  2. sirhc desantis Avatar
    sirhc desantis

    Interesting. This rubbish had slipped my mind. Probably because I treat anything out of zuckbook world as crap. And Ray Ban? Proof that not all retro is worth it and the supremacy of brand over style. Nothing ever changes.
    Had to check if this shite was even available here. Still, thanks for the reminder. At my age, its easy to fake a stumble and accidental headbutt so will keep an eye out for ‘tiny while LEDs’.
    Honestly, you USians are almost as fetish prone over surveillance tekk as the (f)UKish

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  3. Epredator Avatar
    Epredator

    I really like my meta Raybans. I bought a pair a few months ago along with a regular pair of glasses, they have prescription lenses and transition to sunglasses. I use them a lot of the time when I pop out to shops or in particular on family walks out in the country. They are great for taking photos and videos of things you might otherwise miss fumbling for the phone, like wildlife appearing. When taking photos of people (usually family) I say let’s have a photo, as we all do with the phone anyway. I have used them when setting up my greenhouse to ask about plants and what to do, whilst having my hands busy in in the dirt and plant pots. I have Dame Judt Dench as my meta.ai voice so there is a constant amusement at having M from James Bond tell me information through bone conduction. They have also been handy for what’s app messaging. I think the propensity of phones and photos being taken all the time reduces the social scare of the glasses, though not everyone knows the light comes on when you record as a few people have glanced at me and spotted the camera lens and asked if it is on. When the lenses are in sunglasses mode that is less obvious, but the huge thick frames attract inspection otherwise. I am looking forward to the AI upgraded that appear to be happening in the US first, that give a more continuous approach to engaging with the AI, the keyword wake up is good, but a little “Alexa” like. I used them for translation of French spoken to me at a supermarket a few times on holiday. It works but the real time lag impact, however quick the the translation, means I stopped to listen, which caused the person speaking confusion, as I glitched out. Only TV presenters on live shows are used to the listening and talking at the same time 🙂

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