Meta reportedly launching camera-less smart glasses after intense backlash
Rumors suggest that Meta is set to launch its latest wearable gadget next week, yet it won't have any game-changing tech or industry pushing revolutions — quite the opposite, in fact.
Responding to intense backlash, it appears as if Meta has designed a version of its controversial smart glasses without the camera lenses that have drawn such attention, giving people the option to buy into augmented reality tech without potentially looking like a creep.
Don't view this as an admission of failure, however, as there has been no suggestion that the standard smart glasses are going anywhere any time soon – especially amidst a high-profile collaboration with Kylie Jenner – but it at least suggests that Meta is aware of what people think and want to cater to those who see the camera-equipped wearable tech as a dealbreaker of sorts.
Meta rumored to launch smart glasses without cameras
As reported by The Infomation, mounting pressure has prompting Meta to develop a version of its smart glasses without the privacy-invading cameras, giving you the AI functionality, albeit without the option to interact directly with the world around you.
Codenamed 'Luna' internally, these glasses retain the microphones that allow for on-demand conversations with an AI chatbot and the recently launched 'Muse' AI agent, which will in turn speak back to you as you wear the glasses.
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They also appear to have an improved visual design with significantly slimmer temple arms compared to the Meta Ray Ban collaboration, making them look more inconspicuous as a result.
That could likely be due to the reduction in potentially bulky components in the glasses themselves, so don't necessarily expect those revisions and improvements to be carried over when a new version of the main glasses gets revealed.
These camera-less glasses are expected to be revealed during Meta's Connect conference this year, which is set to take place on September 23 and 24.
Why are Meta's smart glasses so controversial?
It's not hard to imagine why, in a growing surveillance state, people would be so concerned about glasses that let you record secretly at any moment — but the backlash to Meta's AI smart glasses became so significant that the law even got involved.
While no nation has banned them outright, they are blocked from use in courts and numerous other public places in order to protect people's privacy and avoid things being recorded that should remain private.
While they might look goofy and obvious when you're seeing them on stage, they do tend to blend into outfits pretty well when out in the wild, leading many people to be left unaware that they're being filmed.
Additionally, suggestions that Meta is developing face recognition tech that ties your appearance to an online profile only further exacerbated concerns among many, with calls to ban what has been deemed 'dystopian' technology from use.