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Ray-Ban Meta glasses have sold 2M units, production to be increased
- Clubber 2y agoI remember people getting beat up for wearing Google glasses in public. What a difference 10 years makes. https://www.businessinsider.com/i-was-assaulted-for-wearing-google-glass-2014-4 https://www.businessinsider.com/i-was-assaulted-for-wearing-...
- memhole 2y agoYeah, the shift in acceptance is really interesting to see. This documentary has always stood out to me: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Live_in_Public https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Live_in_Public
- Isamu 2y agoI would argue it has more to do with conventional styling and what that signals rather than some wider acceptance. The Google Glass look tended to draw attention in a negative way, such god awful styling that narrow minded people might conclude you were an asshole for wearing one.
- navaed01 2y agoThe form factor for these improves acceptance but no doubt there has been a societal shift, so much more of our lives are captured, shared, communicated and entertained through individuals filming. If not your peers, the generation below you is a ‘video and image as communication’ generation.
- netsharc 2y agoInstagram shows me too many videos of "pick up artists" doing POV videos of their douchey interaction with girls, recorded on these. I wonder if it's too stealthy that the people being recorded don't notice. Slash, maybe they have release forms and the videos published are just the ones where they consented to being recorded (heh, as if the pick-up scene cares so great about consent...), and the failed ones are where they immediately say "Is that a camera? Fuck off!". It does have a glowing LED: https://youtu.be/X95mWoTgjaE?t=105 https://youtu.be/X95mWoTgjaE?t=105 but I feel like they're easy to hide with some black tape.
- xGrill 2y agoIf you put black tape over the light, it will not allow you to turn on the camera, however, I believe someone found a hack that said if you started recording and then put black tape over the recording, it would allow you to continue to record, but only for 3 minute increments.
- chuckwolfe 2y agoCould you just replace the led with a uv led or a resistor?
- unsupp0rted 2y agoIf "just" requires ordering specific electronic components and soldering, it's not "just" for most people.
- chillacy 2y agoAlso not the easy kind of 1990's LED soldering, like tiny surface mount soldering.
- burnerthrow008 2y agoI suppose that really depends on how hard they’re trying to prevent you from doing that… * They could measure the forward voltage of the LED when driven by a known current. Bonus points for measuring at multiple currents. Remember that the forward voltage depends on color. * They could measure the reverse leakage current at a known voltage, and compare that to the illumination from the camera’s exposure feedback. Remember that every LED is also a photodiode. * They could vary the LED driver current to heat it up, then measure that both of the above measurements are compatible with the higher temperature. Remember that most semiconductor properties have a strong temperature dependence. So it would be pretty easy to detect most simple mods if they really wanted to.
- Manuel_D 2y ago
- asdff 2y agoBeing introduced to something in adult hood vs being primed for it from your first moments of thought. That is the real mark between generations. What sensibilities marketing departments have propagandized within this cohort of youths. They will hold those views to some degree for the rest of their lives.
- prepend 2y agoGoogle glass looked stupid. So I think the biggest pushback was on people looking different, and not in a good way. These look very close to normal, so I think most people don’t even notice.
- konfusinomicon 2y agoall the picked on glasses wearing nerds got programming jobs and are about to flip the whole script on society. only ones not wearing glasses now are the wierd ones
- yownie 2y ago>Google, for all the backlash it's gotten over gentrification, last year's NSA revelations, and personal data collection for ads, still looks like a company that gives a damn. this one didn't age very well did it?
- __s 2y agoOdd story given your comment. Story is about being mugged for wearing a device. 15 years ago a fellow student had someone walk up to them, ask to see their phone, then bolt off with it. Tho that student was pretty tall so he laughed it off since the guy didn't get far & as for internet laughing at someone's misfortune, that's normal. He says they wouldn't say he had it coming if it was jewelry, but people are laughing saying this rapper had it coming singing "ice on my neck" before going for crowd surfing: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VocdUpfuepY https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VocdUpfuepY
- vid 2y agoA couple years before that, Steve Mann had his medically attached prototype glasses ripped off his head in a McDonald's in Paris. https://www.theverge.com/2012/7/19/3169889/steve-mann-cyborg-assault-mcdonalds-eyetap-paris https://www.theverge.com/2012/7/19/3169889/steve-mann-cyborg...
- quantified 2y agoBeing Mr. or Ms. Surveillance Narc has a little less stigma than back then, but there is still stigma. We'll have captivating stories of Little Brother, intentional and accidental, in the near future. One person's "breaking the moment" is another person's "fair warning", especially in private spaces.
- theshackleford 2y agoI got beaten unconscious in public once for doing absolutely nothing. Violent people don’t really need much of a reason for doing violent things.
- tw04 2y agoMaybe Zuck can team up with Larry to complete our transition to a surveillance/police state. It’s insane to me that anyone would do this knowing how little Facebook respects privacy.
- JohnFen 2y agoIt's insane (but not surprising, sadly) to me that so many people have such a level of disdain for their fellow humans that they're willing expose them to Facebook's, or any tech company's, spying ways.
- gfkclzhzo 2y agoMy company's IT director, who's main function is cybersecurity compliance, wears these at work. So much of the modern world has me feeling like I'm taking crazy pills.
- mgh2 2y agoMost people don't care or are oblivious, not as "tech informed or savvy", is not out of bad intent. Plus, most tech companies control the media they consume.
- Gigachad 2y agoPeople are quite happy to smoke and operate combustion engines in public spaces which literally gives everyone around you cancer. Having someone record you is very low on the disdain scale.
- not_a_bot_4sho 2y agoThis is such a great device to avoid discussion. ... Having someone <tax you|arrest you|suppress your rights|force sterilization|anything short of death by cancer> is very low on the disdain scale.
- wetpaws 2y ago[dead]
- konfusinomicon 2y agodefinitely not listening in on your phones microphone and definitely wont be watching either, but you might be interested in this cat food
- solardev 2y ago[flagged]
- konfusinomicon 2y ago[flagged]
- solardev 2y ago[flagged]
- Integrape 2y ago[flagged]
- prododev 2y agoIt's wild that people buy these, let alone feel comfortable wearing them. I'm already pretty strongly anti Meta, I can't imagine buying a mic and camera they control and bringing it with me everywhere.
- Spivak 2y agoSo your phone? If Alexa is any model mic data is garbage and unmonetizable.
- qwerpy 2y agoI would never buy one because I also try to avoid anything Meta or Google but I received one anyway as a birthday gift. Wife’s thought process was “he likes tech, he wears sunglasses, he’ll love it”. They’re fine glasses and the video recording is surprisingly good quality. But I don’t need AI enabled, video recording glasses.
- not_a_bot_4sho 2y agoIt's astonishing that these get any use. People have short memories.
- josefritzishere 2y agoPutting aside the obviously dystopian qualities of this product... I find it strange that I know zero people who own this device which has sold supposedly over a million units.
- bamboozled 2y agoI know one person who has a pair, they’re are an investor and were given a pair for free, naturally they have to tell you how good they are all the time as well.
- chillacy 2y ago2M units globally, so maybe generously 1M in the US (assuming you're from there but multiply by some factor proportional to your country's consumeristic tendencies), divided by the population is only something like a .3% rate of ownership. So not quite as prevalent as gopro, which has sold something like 35M in the US over the past 10 years [1] [1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/688306/number-of-gopro-units-shipped-worldwide/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/688306/number-of-gopro-u...
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- m463 2y agoMaybe people buying this don't want to creep out their friends and admit it. It might be interesting if people will be able to tell the glasses are being used, like "How are you today Charles?" "don't you remember I go by chuck?"
- gfkclzhzo 2y agoBetter learn to touch type or Meta will have all your passwords.
- GuestFAUniverse 2y agoTouch typing won't help. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-acoustic-attack-steals-data-from-keystrokes-with-95-percent-accuracy/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-acoustic-...
- blakeburch 2y agoIs there anyway to bypass Meta on these? Or is there an open source version in the works? Interested to see what could be done locally with always-on visual capture + LLMs. Not interested in sending that data to Meta.
- magixx 2y agoA bypass is not possible. I believe the raybans meta have an "always on" AI mode/session now. To be honest, the biggest issue with the glasses is battery life and I don't see that changing any time soon. It doesn't matter what LLM processes your data if it can only do it for one hour per charge.
- tiahura 2y agoWouldn’t it make sense to offload the ai to the phone?
- magixx 2y agoThe AI stuff is already offloaded to Meta servers via your phone. I don't think there are any models AI that would be able to run natively on phones with acceptable performance. Even if it did, my experience with video calls and the glasses are that the battery only lasts about 45minutes so I'm guessing slightly better performance for always on AI depending on what features you use.
- veverkap 2y agoSo no way to get rid of the AI portion and just have it be speakers and a camera that I wear on my face? Darn it
- magixx 2y agoYou can use it like this, it's just that it's integrated with Meta's companion app which also has AI capabilities. Personally, I found the AI capabilities kind of lackluster now but I'm sure more features will be added in the future. The most useful features I found were taking quick photos and video calls with friends and family while away on work trips. Music playback was also decent but it eats up the limited battery.
- zhengiszen 2y agoMarketing bull*
- light_triad 2y agoKnow some people who have these and apparently the AI is very limited. They were standing in front of the Golden Gate bridge and the glasses had no idea what they were looking at. I'm sure the AI will improve quite a bit but given the hype it was a surprise.
- m463 2y agothis makes me think of people who say "my refrigerator/bbq grill/air purifier smart features are really not worth it"... when that's not the festure and they're not the customer, the other data and people buying the data are.
- BugsJustFindMe 2y agoI know someone who has a pair and authentically loves them. He's blind. It's easy to pooh-pooh their utility if someone doesn't need assistance to know what's in the room with them, but hopefully we can all understand the clear value proposition for those who do.
- JohnFen 2y agoI understand the value proposition. My problem is that people using them are offloading the cost onto others who have not agreed to be so exposed. If it were possible to use something like these without throwing everyone they interact with under the bus in terms of privacy and security, I'd have no problem with them.
- BugsJustFindMe 2y agoI guess I'm not comfortable with the idea that a blind person should proverbially "take one for the team" while everyone else should not. An equivalent device not attached to meta would be great. Does one exist?
- AndrewKemendo 2y agoYes - xreal I use mine all the time for mostly watching movies or gaming but sometimes work They are legitimately one of the best devices I have and I’ve been in AR a long time
- BugsJustFindMe 2y agoAFAICT, none of the XReal glasses have an integrated camera, and the accessory camera on their website just says "coming soon". Without a camera, it's not suitable for the purpose.
- wlesieutre 2y agoThat’s a totally different product. The Meta glasses don’t have a screen, only camera paired with voice UI. If we’re looking for a head-mounted device that’s useful for blind people, taking away the camera and intelligence and replacing them with a screen definitely is not it. You’re losing the useful parts and replacing them with a useless one.
- ein0p 2y agoPretty soon we'll be walking around with electronic warfare backpacks on our backs to disable all this bullshit within 300 foot radius. I thought no one would want Zuck's ad platform on their face. Apparently I was underestimating the stupidity of the public.
- alberth 2y agoDumb question, what makes this "VR"? Isn't this just a voice activated camera, in a form factor that you can wear on your head. (Genuinely curious, not hating on the product)
- namanaggarwal 2y agoIt’s not a VR device. It has a camera, mic and speakers, that allows you to take photos/videos and talk to an AI agent
- carabiner 2y agoYes, exactly. If you don't need corrected vision or sunglasses, you could pop out the lenses and have 100% of the functionality. There is no display so it does not actually use the lenses for anything. The primary function of glasses, altering your vision, is not enhanced.
- TransAtlToonz 2y agoI got a pair as a gift and they've been sitting around unopened. I can't say I have any clue what to do with them—I like cheap sunglasses and I don't like talking to chatbots. I don't understand why we can't have dumb tools anymore. I also strongly suspect these numbers are misleading. I was offered another pair for free on opening a verizon fiber account. I'm betting there's some scheme to pump up these numbers to make it look like they're catching on. Though perhaps this skepticism is negated by the increase in production. Granted, I've seen a couple tiktokers use something like them, but I don't know what the experience is like getting that video out of Meta's grasp. EDIT: added a couple thoughts.
- alsoforgotmypwd 2y agoThe last version was chunky and cheap looking. I couldn't find a use for them and sent them back. And that was when I worked there. Wouldn't touch them now.
- jisnsm 2y ago> I like cheap sunglasses and I don't like talking to chatbots. I don't understand why we can't have dumb tools anymore. It really sucks that dumb, cheap sunglasses no longer are sold. It’s either these meta sunglasses or have your eyes melt
- Salgat 2y agoFor me the meta sunglasses have two killer features. Taking candid pictures of my family is extremely easy, I no longer miss catching photos of small things my toddlers do and I'm able to do it hands-free. Additionally, they work remarkably well as headphones, they use some technique where only you hear the audio which is great both for music and for watching videos in public without bothering other folks.
- stevage 2y agoI'm surprised the candid picture case is so compelling. I can pull my phone from my pocket, double click the power button to enter camera mode, then tap volume button to shoot, very quickly. Under 2 seconds easily.
- nickthegreek 2y agoBiggest features of these is the speakers. I use mine to listen to podcasts all the time when I’m out and about. Or even just scrolling TikTok when I’m not alone. The camera has allowed me to get some great photos of my pets. The fpv video is delightful. I wish I could change the ai. I look forward to competition in this space. I think it will end up being the next smart watchesque market segment.
- cjrp 2y agoCan people next to you hear the podcast too?
- divan 2y agoI bought mine last year and use them practically everyday - mostly as headphones/microphone, but taking photos/videos ocasionally too. While I never planned to use them as a headphones, there is something surprisingly pleasant about not needing to put yet another gadget in your ears. And the sound feels more like coming from the environment and not directly emerging in your ears. Talking to ChatGPT with Advanced Voice mode or listening a podcast during a walk or bike ride or so is a really nice experience with these. Receiving calls is fun too. Camera is really interesting to use in some unusual scenarios, like POV view of a ballet teacher or figure skating couple performing a death spiral. I give them to try to my friends when I see an opportunity to film something like that. That's really fun and sometimes illuminating. I briefly enjoyed playing with Meta AI. One use case was "listening the podcast, encounter unknown term or name, ask "Hey Meta, explain <word> meaning", and back to listening without even lifting a finger". But then Meta disabled it in the country I'm in (I bought it in airport in another country), so only basic voice commands are working, which is fine.
- tough 2y agosomething like a vpn might let u use those geo restricted features
- vosper 2y ago> alking to ChatGPT with Advanced Voice mode or listening a podcast during a walk or bike ride or so is a really nice experience with these. I've recently thought that a killer bit of hardware would be a way to interact with an LLM by voice without other people thinking you're talking to them and saying "what?". I was imagining the return of those classic bluetooth headseats, or some combo of earbud and throat mic, but the Ray Bans seem like they might be an option, too.
- dpig_ 2y agoI don't know, I think that would still require people to change their assumptions about glasses. Currently, I don't assume someone is talking to their sunnies.
- crimsoneer 2y agoI really wish there was an open version of these.... being all to work with chatgpt advance or send pics to Gemini would be killer for me.
- tpierce89 2y agoThere are a few Open Source projects similar to this, but they are less refined. https://brilliant.xyz/products/monocle https://brilliant.xyz/products/monocle https://www.projectnorthstar.org/ https://www.projectnorthstar.org/ https://github.com/AugmentOS-Community/OpenSourceSmartGlasses?tab=readme-ov-file https://github.com/AugmentOS-Community/OpenSourceSmartGlasse...
- navaed01 2y agoI own a pair and haven’t looked back. IMHO these have incredible utility and for me feel freeing. I have small kids and I want to capture those special small moments, but I refuse to pull out a phone to do so, small kids are so perceptive and they intuit something has changed when you pull out a phone to record. With the meta’s I just hit record and I don’t feel guilty or torn about recording. Granted, I don’t love how they look so I’m not always wearing them… Seen some comments about juiced numbers, every teen interacts video first, that’s how they communicate with friends, not text, so I totally buy these numbers. Anecdotal, I’ve been to a couple of ray ban stores and staff say they sell like hot cakes and are sold out a lot of the time (obviously low production is a contributor, but point being they seem to have market fit)
- brailsafe 2y agoWhat do you mean exactly by teens communicate video first?
- faizmokh 2y agoThese glasses are somewhat trending in my country among millennials even though they aren't officially sold here.
- amazingamazing 2y agoNot interested until you can replace batteries.
- mola 2y ago[flagged]
- phyrex 2y agoYeah that seems really well adjusted. I assume you also punch everyone that happens to point a cellphone in your general direction?
- mola 2y agoIf a cell phone was taped to their face and they were recording everything they see and send it up to meta, then yeah. Is it well adjusted that I can't do anything without being tracked continuously? I can't even go pass a bus station without it tracking my wifi. You want to live in minority report world, go ahead. But don't surveil me.
- phyrex 2y agoYou're on hacker news, you must have some understanding of technology. Do you really think a tiny device like this has the battery power to record everything all the time, let alone upload it to meta?
- fragmede 2y agoman, I never realized, but 2004 was such a long time ago.
- mandeepj 2y agoHopefully, they'll have a heads-up display soon; Nothing like driving a motorcycle and having directions upfront without needing to look down at a phone
- MourYother 2y agoUnfortunately not as fugly as the Felon Dump-Truck to become an instant punchable offense
- FooBarBizBazz 2y agoYou have to assume that anyone wearing these things is filming you. It's creepy. People who use them are creepy.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- walterbell 2y agoThis upcoming hardware claims to support an open SDK, https://mentra.glass https://mentra.glass
- srmarm 2y agoI understand all the usual caveats of no expectation of privacy in public but this is very much slippery slope stuff. Say on the metro sitting opposite someone. If they pulled out a camera and pointed it in your face you'd be offended and say something, with a camera phone you'd still probably notice if they tried to get a pic of you and most people would find it at best creepy and ask the person to stop or move away from them. This product normalises that. Sure there are some legit use cases but I'm not consenting to you as a stranger pointing your camera in my face. You may not legally need my consent to do that but it's straight up rude to do it anyway. Will be interesting to see how this pans out. I'm fairly placid and would probably just tut and move if someone sat opposite with these but I suspect other people might have a stronger reaction. Breaking societal norms like this should have consequences, even if it's sanctioned by Zuck.
- floppiplopp 2y ago"Be a good little surveillance drone and put on the glasses back on!" - Mark Z.
- oglop 2y agoImma blast someone right in the face if they get up in my mug with them shits.