Meta Platforms (META) indicated in a blog post that it is delaying the international expansion of its Ray-Ban Display glasses due to inventory constraints and unprecedented demand in the U.S.
“Since launching last fall, we’ve seen an overwhelming amount of interest, and as a result, product waitlists now extend well into 2026. Because of this unprecedented demand and limited inventory, we’ve decided to pause our planned international expansion to the UK, France, Italy, and Canada, which was originally scheduled for early 2026. We’ll continue to focus on fulfilling orders in the US while we re-evaluate our approach to international availability.”
Meta (META) has been developing smart glasses with Ray-Ban maker Luxottica (ESLOY). CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses in September. The smart glasses are camera- and audio-enabled eyewear that look like standard Ray-Ban frames but add hands-free photo and video capture, open-ear speakers, microphones, and an integrated Meta AI assistant. The glasses integrate dual 12 MP cameras in newer generations for photos and up to 60-second 1080p video, with a visible recording indicator for bystander awareness, and they use open-ear speakers plus a multi-microphone array for music, calls, and voice input while keeping ambient sound audible. In addition, onboard controls include a touchpad on the temple for taps and swipes to adjust volume or playback and a physical shutter button for quick capture of photos or video clips.
A more advanced “Meta Ray-Ban Display” variant adds a small full-color microdisplay embedded in the right lens (with a compact field of view) to show AI responses, navigation prompts, messages, and other visual cues, and it pairs with a wrist-worn Neural Band that reads subtle hand muscle signals for micro-gesture control, pointing toward more sophisticated AR-style interaction in a relatively conventional eyewear form factor.
Elsewhere in the smart glasses industry, Alphabet (GOOG) has announced a $150 million partnership with Warby Parker (WRBY) last year, and ChatGPT maker OpenAI (OPENAI) is reportedly working on AI glasses with Apple (AAPL).