Rumours of new Oakley-branded Meta camera glasses surfaced earlier this year, but now we know: it’s happening, and we’ll see it soon.
What will we see?
There’s nothing to know yet, but as I wrote back in January (👇 scroll on down), there’s a good chance the Meta Oakley glasses will come from the brand’s sports-focused range rather than the varieties inspired by Ray-Ban’s Wayfarers – given that Meta’s already got its Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarer models.
For those not in the know, Oakley and Ray-Ban are owned by the same giant glasses maker these days, so a cross-brand collaboration with Meta is probably seen as a natural evolution of the existing deal.
Importantly for those actually into the idea of smart glasses, this expansion will give folks new options that might be more appealing than the classic (and frankly timeless, perfect) Ray-Ban look.
But will they be an all-new look, or an integration into an existing Oakley design?
The above is a quick mockup I’ve created with Meta’s existing camera modules, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they do go for something entirely fresh.
Scroll down to see the example I mocked up back in January!
January 23: Meta & Oakley might be looking at a smart glasses deal
Just when I think I’m done with Meta…
Honestly I’m in the mood to hurl curses at Meta lately, for many varied reasons, but I confess I do love my Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses.
The quality of video they produce, combined with the comfort and style of the glasses, is very bloody good. My only wish is that they could film not only in 9:16 but also 16:9 – although it’s technically and commercially obvious why they don’t.
What can we expect from a collab with Oakley?
Probably more of the same, given Oakley and Ray-Ban are both owned by Essilor Luxottica.
An Oakley version might have some new features, given the release cadence, but they’d be likely to show up in the next generation of Ray-Ban’s smart glasses too.
Given Oakley has an image as a sports-oriented eyewear brand, any smart glasses they offer might also have a more hardy camera lens that could take more of a beating.
Oakley haven’t been my style for a long time, but I’ll be keeping an eye on this one…
⌁ via The Verge
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