Regardless of a tech company’s proven track record with certain offerings, there is invariably a product that underperforms post-launch. This was the case for Amazon with its short-lived Fire phone and now, it seems, Meta is dealing with a similar issue. From lackluster enthusiasm for the Metaverse to tepid reception for the Ray-Ban Stories smart sunglasses, Meta is facing some tough times. A confidential Meta report reviewed by The Wall Street Journal indicated that less than 10% of Ray-Ban Stories owners are frequent users of the product.
From September 2021 to February 2023, Ray-Ban sold approximately 300,000 units of these smart glasses, according to the same report by Meta. However, only 27,000 of these were active on a monthly basis, attributing to problems like subpar connectivity and inadequate battery life. True, these customers already purchased the sunglasses, providing some profit for the involved companies, but this lack of user retention doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in sustained sales. Furthermore, Meta’s Reality Labs division, which oversees the Ray-Ban partnership, reported a hefty loss of nearly $8 million in the first half of 2023.
Despite these unfavorable statistics, Meta is planning to launch a new version of the Ray-Ban Stories either in the upcoming fall or spring. Reportedly, the next-generation glasses will feature enhanced battery life and cameras, and will expand beyond the existing three sunglass models. The inaugural version was priced at $299, but no information has been released concerning the price point of the next iteration of Ray-Ban Stories.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Ray-Ban Stories
What is the reported usage of Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses?
According to an internal Meta report, less than 10% of Ray-Ban Stories owners regularly use the product.
How many units of Ray-Ban Stories have been sold since launch?
Ray-Ban sold approximately 300,000 units of these smart glasses from their launch in September 2021 to February 2023.
What are the reported issues with the current generation of Ray-Ban Stories?
The main issues reported with the current generation of Ray-Ban Stories are poor connectivity and inadequate battery life.
How is Meta responding to the low usage of Ray-Ban Stories?
Despite the low usage, Meta plans to launch a new version of Ray-Ban Stories either in the upcoming fall or spring with improved battery life and cameras.
What was the price of the first generation Ray-Ban Stories?
The first generation of Ray-Ban Stories was available for purchase at a price of $299.
Is there any information available on the price of the next version of Ray-Ban Stories?
As of now, there’s no word yet on how the next version of Ray-Ban Stories will be priced.
More about Ray-Ban Stories
- Meta’s Collaboration with Ray-Ban
- Ray-Ban Stories Review
- Meta’s Struggles with New Technology
- The Metaverse and its Challenges
- Amazon’s Fire Phone Failure
6 comments
Big tech always stumbles at first, it’s normal. Amazons Fire phone was a disaster but look at them now. The next gen of Ray-Bans might surprise us.
$299 for glasses with poor battery and connectivity?? no thanks… let’s see how they price the next gen.
I bought one of these glasses. Connectivity problems were a real pain, but im curious to see how they improve it in the next gen. If they fix it, I might buy again.
Wait, only 27k active users out of 300k sales?? that’s a lot less than I would’ve guessed. Guess people arent too keen on the smart glasses concept huh…
Meta should just focus on the metaverse! There’s so much potential there… I don’t get why they’re still trying with the glasses.
Honestly, the styles they offer are just not that great. More options in the next release might get me interested. But the tech gotta work too!