Meta Plans to Expand Retail Stores Amid Intensifying Smart Glasses Competition

Man, so Meta’s been kind of eyeing the whole retail thing for ages, right? But now there’s some buzz, like actual buzz, that they might finally step it up beyond just that one lonely shop they’ve got. According to some Business Insider scoop I stumbled upon (why do I always end up on that site when I’m bored?), Meta’s thinking about opening more real-deal stores. Like, they’re hiring folks and everything. Maybe it’s like Apple’s stores? Or maybe that’s just me dreaming. Hard to tell since apparently, not many peeps at Meta even know about this plan yet. Classic.

Anyway, I found out Meta’s been all about pop-up stores since forever — like, remember that big splash in LA last year? But actually, they’ve been popping up here and there since 2016, teaming up with places like Best Buy to show off their XR headsets. Just thinking about it makes me nostalgic for some reason. No clue why.

Oh! So, here’s a fun tidbit: they’ve got this permanent store in Burlingame, California. Swing by if you’re around — try out the Quest 3 or those swanky Ray-Ban smart glasses. But honestly, the driving force here seems to be those Ray-Ban Meta Glasses. Fancy name, huh?

Apparently, over a million of those glasses flew off the shelves last year. Mark Zuckerberg even called it a “great start” — sounds like something you’d say about a new book club or whatever. And EssilorLuxottica (no idea how to pronounce that) is planning to crank things up to 10 million units by 2026. I wonder if people will still wear glasses then? Kidding. Mostly.

The glasses come with all these gadgets, like cameras and an AI assistant. And music? Yeah, off-ear speakers. Styles and lenses galore. Not surprised if they mix it up even more soon. Keeps you on your toes.

In this weird twist, Bloomberg mentioned Meta might drop new smart glasses — some with displays, others sporty (shoutout to Oakley). I guess the smart glasses scene is heating up because Google’s jumping in too. Saw their new glasses at Google I/O, partnered with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster (what a name!). They’re releasing those soon.

And, plot twist, Apple’s possibly joining the fray! They’re supposedly crafting a smart glasses chip. Seems like everyone’s trying to wear something smart on their face. Tech, right? Can’t wait to see how tangled my charging cables will get.