Here’s the, uh, rundown. So, Meta’s been messing around with this whole retail thing forever, right? And now, some insider gossip – or was it Business Insider? – whatever, they say Meta’s really gonna dive into opening stores. Like, real stores, not just those temporary ones. (Remember they had a pop-up in LA last year? Yeah, that was a thing.)
Apparently, they might be trying to copy Apple’s playbook. But it seems like they’re still keeping it hush-hush at headquarters. I guess it’s early days – or not. Hard to tell with these megacorps.
Oh, side note – they’ve been dabbling with pop-up spots since, like, 2016? They even team up with Best Buy to showcase their fancy XR headsets. It’s a whole tech-show-and-tell, kinda cute if you think about it.
So, there’s this one permanent Meta Store in Burlingame – yep, California, next door to their Reality Labs. You can try out their Quest gadgets and those Ray-Ban smart glasses there. Cool, right?
Here’s the kicker – those Ray-Ban glasses are apparently a big deal for Meta’s retail dreams. They sold over a million pairs last year. Zuckerberg even called it “a great start,” whatever that means.
And EssilorLuxottica – such a tongue-twister, right? – is ramping up to churn out 10 million glasses a year by 2026. These glasses have cameras and even a Meta AI assistant. Talk about future tech!
Oh, and then Bloomberg (I think?) hinted at more new smart glasses from Meta. Maybe some with built-in displays? Or sporty ones from Oakley? Who knows?
The whole smart glasses scene’s getting wild. Google’s jumping in, partnering with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. And there’s buzz about Apple tinkering with glasses too. They might be using some energy-efficient chips, like in Apple Watches, for some futuristic eyewear.
Anyway, it’s all up in the air. Maybe I’ll get some new shades. Or not. We’ll see.
