Meta’s latest announcements span products arriving this year and a higher-priced device planned for 2027: updated smart glasses, a new virtual reality system and a consumer AI agent called Muse. The company is building toward a future in which wearables play a larger role in how people use technology, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg arguing that they could eventually replace the smartphone as the primary interface.
Meta describes Muse as a centerpiece of its AI plans. According to WSOC TV, the assistant can hold real-time voice conversations and video chats, and users can customize its appearance and voice. Meta says it can also help plan travel, book reservations and order groceries through partnerships with OpenTable, Spotify and Ticketmaster.
A Keychain-Sized AI Companion Arrives This Winter
Meta plans to release Muse Charm, a keychain-like device with the full Muse experience, in December, in time for the holidays, according to the Associated Press. The company also plans to bring Muse to its glasses for hands-free access. Meta chief AI officer Alexandr Wang said the effort is about making agents more accessible and bringing “personal superintelligence” to everyone.
Meta is adding an audio-only option to its glasses lineup. The Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses support music, calls and conversations with an AI assistant, but have no screen or video-recording capability, the report notes. They are due in October, starting at $349. Ray-Ban Meta Generation 3 glasses are already available from $449, and Meta says it plans to offer more than 100 options across Ray-Ban, Oakley and Meta glasses by year-end, including in new markets such as Turkey, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
Hearing Feature Joins the Glasses Lineup
Meta has also introduced a hearing enhancement feature described as an FDA-cleared, over-the-counter hearing aid for perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, according to the Associated Press. The feature adds a health-related use to glasses that can also play music and provide access to an AI assistant.
California privacy rights and wearable data
For California residents asking what limits apply when businesses use sensitive personal information, the California Privacy Protection Agency says the CCPA gives them the right to limit businesses’ use and disclosure of that information. The agency’s guidance describes a general privacy right; it does not specify how any particular Meta device handles audio, video or biometric information.
Featherlight VR Glasses Replace the Bulky Headset
Meta’s longer-term hardware bet is a new VR glasses system demonstrated at the company’s Menlo Park, California, headquarters. The glasses weigh about 100 grams, or roughly 3.5 ounces. The report compares that with the Meta Quest 3, launched in 2023, which weighs about five times as much.
The announced system combines an eye-tracking camera and sensor with hand and finger gestures and voice commands, so users can navigate without a controller. It can project a virtual keyboard onto a flat surface and connect to Mac or Windows PCs, while allowing wearers to see their desks and surroundings. For video calls, it can display a photorealistic digital person with real-time expressions and reactions, according to the same report.
Meta also described entertainment uses, including simulated courtside or front-row views of sports and concerts. Its VR Enhanced Cinema mode turns a viewer’s surroundings into a movie-inspired virtual world with dynamic effects, 3D visuals and spatial audio. Meta VR Glasses are scheduled to launch in spring 2027 for $1,300, according to the Associated Press.
Zuckerberg Pushes Back Against Calls to Slow AI Down
Zuckerberg also used the event to address the pace and risks of AI development. He said Meta is optimistic about AI because it believes in people, and called this a wild time to be building, according to the report. Meta has distanced itself from calls by rival companies for a coordinated slowdown in advanced AI development.
Zuckerberg argued that AI safety should involve distributing the technology widely and creating checks and balances, rather than restricting it to a handful of companies. That position accompanies Meta’s push to put AI into consumer wearables. Whether customers will buy into that vision—from glasses arriving this year to a $1,300 VR system planned for 2027—will become clearer as the products reach the market.
