Meta Plans to Increase Retail Presence Amid Intensifying Smart Glasses Competition

Alright, let’s dive into the chaotic mix of Meta and its mysterious retail strategies. So, they’ve been tinkering with this whole retail scene for ages, right? Like that friend who keeps saying they’ll finally start working out but never does. But now—finally—they seem to be getting serious about opening more physical stores, at least that’s what this Business Insider gossip hints at. Nothing’s really official, yet. It’s like overhearing a conversation at a party and assuming it’s gospel.

Their past pop-ups, especially the one in Los Angeles, captured some headlines last year—but apparently, they’ve been doing these pop-up things since 2016! Who knew? Probably something about the LA one just sparkled more, or maybe it was just a slow news day. Anyway, they also have their one lonely store in Burlingame, next to their Reality Labs—fancy name, right? That’s where you can play with Quest 3 and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which, honestly, sound kinda futuristic and yet like something out of an old sci-fi flick.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The Ray-Ban Meta Glasses seem to be the big driver for all this retail hullabaloo. Teaming up with EssilorLuxottica, the fancy eyewear folks, Meta has been pushing these things like hotcakes—sold a million of them in 2024 alone! Zuck’s probably patting himself on the back for calling that “a great start.” But the real kicker? They want to pump out 10 million units by 2026. Talk about ambitious.

These glasses do all sorts of neat stuff, like taking photos and video. They’ve got Meta’s AI assistant and off-ear speakers—whatever those are. And they come in all kinds of styles, which is great because I don’t think I’d look good in, well, any of them.

Oh, and Bloomberg had some juicy tidbits back in April about new smart glasses on the horizon. Ones with built-in displays and some sporty versions from Oakley. Everyone’s jumping on this bandwagon! Even Google’s throwing their hat—or glasses—into the ring, teaming up with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Apple’s no slouch either, reportedly working on their own tech-centric eyewear with some energy-efficient chips. The future seems vision-tech focused—pun intended.

That’s it, I guess. Stay tuned for the retail revolution, or something like that. Who knows what’s next? Just hoping for some stores nearer to me. Or maybe not, my wallet would be in trouble.