Facebook thinks you’ll buy its smart glasses if it has Ray-Ban branding

In March this year, Facebook showcased new wristband controllers for future AR systems. The wristband controllers aimed to provide a more natural and intuitive method to control the company’s upcoming AR glasses. While Facebook didn’t share any details about the AR glasses at the time, Mark Zuckerberg has now confirmed some details.

During an earnings call this week, Zuckerberg said, “Looking ahead here, the next product release will be the launch of our first smart glasses from Ray-Ban in partnership with EssilorLuxottica. The glasses have their iconic form factor, and they let you do some pretty neat things. So I’m excited to get these in people’s hands and to continue to make progress on the journey towards full augmented reality glasses in the future.”

Although Zuckerberg didn’t reveal any info about the “neat things” the upcoming glasses would be capable of, Facebook has previously confirmed that the glasses won’t feature an integrated display, and they won’t be classified as an AR device (via The Verge). This leads us to believe that Facebook’s upcoming Ray-Ban branded smart glasses would rely on a companion app, like the original Snap Spectacles, the Razer Anzu, and the Amazon Echo Frames.

The Ray-Ban partnership will, most likely, help Facebook’s upcoming smart glasses stand apart. Although a lot of us won’t go out and buy the glasses just because of the Ray-Ban branding, many people will. And Facebook is banking on that. This is why, instead of revealing any technical details about the upcoming smart glasses, Zuckerberg shared info about the Ray-Ban partnership during the earnings call.

What’s your take on Facebook’s decision to partner with Ray-Ban for its upcoming smart glasses? Do you think the Ray-Ban branding will help the glasses achieve mainstream success? Let us know in the comments below.

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