Meta’s Connect 2024 is on tap: Here’s what to expect

Meta Platforms’ (NASDAQ:META) two-day Connect conference is bound to take place from September 25th to 26th, where the Facebook-parent firm is set to bring a slew of new updates to its augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) products.

First off, the company is expected to roll out updates to the AR smart glasses it makes in partnership with Ray-Ban, showcase its new augmented reality glasses dubbed “Orion”. Along with this, there could be a cheaper version of its wireless virtual reality (VR) Quest headset too.

Orion is expected to be Meta’s most advanced augmented reality glasses, which are expected to mate the high-powered tech AR tech found in the Meta Quest Pro headset with the Wayfarer type of Ray-ban frame.

Meta is also expected to disclose deals it has signed with celebrities Judi Dench, Kristen Bell, and John Cena to give their voice to the company’s Llama large-language model. This feature will provide users with the option to select a voice for the tech giant’s digital assistant from a list of five celebrities, which also features Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key.

Investors would be keen to see what CEO Mark Zuckerberg has to say about the company’s future direction on investments in artificial intelligence products ahead of Meta’s third-quarter results next month.

Meta’s shares have soared close to 60% since the start of the year, as it has been one of the few companies whose billions of dollars poured into AI have resulted in tangible returns.

As a result, what Meta might say or showcase carries weight because it could show where the technology industry is headed in terms of future AI applications.

“Meta Platforms is recommended as a buy due to its AI success, attractive valuation, clean balance sheet, and potential in VR technology,” Perseus Perspectives writes in Meta Platforms: Compelling Story With A Reasonable Valuation.

Meanwhile. Amrita Roy counters by saying that there hasn’t been any material improvement in the overall profitability of the Meta Reality Labs, which houses its “metaverse” work with products that include Ray-Ban Meta glasses and Quest 3 in Meta Platforms Gains From TikTok’s Pains.