Meta Plans to Expand Retail Presence Amid Intensifying Smart Glasses Competition

Hey, so Meta… they’ve been in this dance with retail forever, it feels like. And now, according to some Business Insider scoop, they’re finally kicking things up a notch. So what? They’ve got this one lone store, and they’re thinking, let’s go bigger. New hires, more stores, the whole shebang.

I’m imagining a kind of Apple vibe—they’ve got that locked down. But shhh, it’s all hush-hush inside Meta. Don’t go shouting it from the rooftops yet.

Anyway, you might remember their LA pop-up last year. Yeah, it got its fair share of buzz. But that wasn’t the first rodeo. Since 2016, Meta’s been popping up everywhere, linking arms with places like Best Buy for XR headset demos. I mean, those VR headsets need love too, right?

Oh, and speaking of places, they’ve got this permanent spot in Burlingame, right beside their Reality Labs. It’s like, you walk in, and boom—Quest 3s everywhere. Plus, those snazzy Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Those are the real crowd pullers, I think.

Now, let’s chat about those glasses. Teaming up with EssilorLuxottica, that’s a power move. They pushed out a million Ray-Ban Meta Glasses in 2024. And Zuckerberg, yeah, he’s calling it a fantastic start. It’s like they can’t make enough! EssilorLuxottica is aiming for 10 million a year by 2026. Can you even imagine?

These glasses—they’re more than just smart tech. Cameras for pics and vids, Meta AI whispering in your ear, and speakers you don’t even notice. Stylish too, with different looks and lens types. Though, bet that’ll shuffle around soon.

Oh, and get this—Bloomberg talked about Meta launching even more glasses. Like, with displays and sporty designs under the Oakley brand.

Not to be left out, Google’s in this race, flashing their glasses at Google I/O. They’re linking with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. And then there’s Apple. Yeah, those guys. Rumor has it they’re cooking up some smart specs with their nifty watch technology. Crazy times.

This whole smart glasses thing, it’s heating up. And honestly, I’m just trying to keep up!