Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses have received a major endorsement from media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who featured them in her highly influential “Oprah’s Favorite Things 2024” annual gift guide on Oprah Daily. This recognition comes as the AI-powered smart glasses continue to exceed sales expectations and gain mainstream consumer traction.
Winfrey enthusiastically described the glasses as “the gift of the season,” announcing plans to give them to multiple people this year. She highlighted the AI-powered capabilities that make the glasses stand out: they can identify and explain what you’re looking at in unfamiliar cities, translate foreign language menus in real-time, play music, capture photos, handle phone calls, and much more. The media icon recommended the glasses as ideal gifts for “the traveler, the techie, and the trendsetter,” linking to purchase options on both Amazon and Meta’s website.
This endorsement could trigger the famous “Oprah Effect”—a phenomenon where products featured in her recommendations experience dramatic surges in sales and popularity. For Meta’s smart glasses, which are already performing beyond expectations, this could provide significant additional momentum during the crucial holiday shopping season.
During Meta’s recent earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasized that the glasses continue to see “very strong” consumer demand. He reiterated his belief that glasses represent the ideal form factor for AI because they allow artificial intelligence to see what users see, hear what they hear, and communicate naturally through conversation. Zuckerberg had previously acknowledged the glasses were “a bigger hit sooner than we expected.”
The demand has been so robust that a limited-edition clear version of the glasses, originally priced at $429 and launched during Meta’s September product event, is now reselling online for over $1,000. This secondary market premium demonstrates the strong consumer appetite for the product.
Meta’s Chief Financial Officer Susan Li revealed during the earnings call that the company has already “evolved our roadmaps” in response to the unexpected success, committing to “investing appropriately behind the consumer momentum that we see.” This suggests Meta plans to accelerate development and potentially expand production capacity.
Francesco Milleri, CEO of EssilorLuxottica—the company that manufactures Ray-Ban frames—told the Financial Times he believes smart glasses will eventually replace smartphones in popularity, a bold prediction that Winfrey’s endorsement seems to support.
Key Quotes
The gift of the season! I’ll be giving these to lots of folks this year. Ray-Ban and Meta’s newest glasses can tell you what you’re looking at in a new city, translate a menu from a foreign language, play music, snap photos, take a phone call, and more.
Oprah Winfrey’s enthusiastic endorsement in her “Oprah’s Favorite Things 2024” gift guide demonstrates how AI-powered smart glasses are breaking into mainstream consumer consciousness, with one of the world’s most influential media figures personally recommending them as holiday gifts.
I continue to think that glasses are the ideal form factor for AI because you can let your AI see what you see, hear what you hear, and talk to you.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg articulated his vision during the company’s earnings call, explaining why smart glasses represent a superior platform for AI assistants compared to smartphones or other devices, emphasizing the natural integration of AI into users’ sensory experiences.
Demand for the glasses continues to be very strong.
Zuckerberg confirmed during Meta’s earnings call that consumer interest remains robust, with limited-edition versions reselling for over $1,000—more than double their original $429 price—demonstrating unprecedented demand for AI-powered wearables.
We’ve already evolved our roadmaps and would be investing appropriately behind the consumer momentum that we see.
Meta CFO Susan Li revealed that the company is accelerating its smart glasses development plans and increasing investments in response to the unexpected success, signaling Meta’s commitment to capitalizing on this emerging market opportunity.
Our Take
Oprah’s endorsement represents a cultural validation moment for AI wearables, bridging the gap between Silicon Valley innovation and mainstream consumer adoption. This isn’t just about sales numbers—it’s about AI becoming normalized in everyday life. The fact that a limited-edition version is reselling at 2.3x its original price suggests we’re witnessing genuine consumer enthusiasm, not just tech hype. Meta’s decision to accelerate its roadmap indicates the company recognizes this as a potential iPhone-like moment for wearable AI. The convergence of fashion (Ray-Ban), technology (Meta’s AI), and cultural influence (Oprah) creates a powerful formula for mass adoption. If smart glasses succeed in replacing even a fraction of smartphone interactions, it could fundamentally reshape the AI interface landscape and validate ambient computing as the next major platform shift.
Why This Matters
This development represents a significant milestone in AI’s transition from specialized technology to mainstream consumer product. Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement carries enormous cultural and commercial weight, potentially accelerating consumer adoption of AI-powered wearables beyond early adopters to mass-market audiences.
The success of Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses validates Mark Zuckerberg’s vision that glasses are the optimal form factor for AI assistants, offering hands-free, contextual AI that integrates seamlessly into daily life. Unlike smartphones that require users to pull out a device, smart glasses provide continuous AI assistance through natural interfaces—seeing, hearing, and speaking.
This shift has broader implications for the AI industry and hardware manufacturers. If smart glasses gain mainstream traction, it could reshape how consumers interact with AI, moving from screen-based interactions to ambient computing. The strong demand is already forcing Meta to accelerate its product roadmap and increase investments, potentially triggering a new wave of competition in the AI wearables space. For businesses, this signals that AI-powered consumer hardware is reaching an inflection point where cultural influencers and everyday consumers—not just tech enthusiasts—are driving adoption.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/oprah-favorite-list-meta-ray-ban-smart-glasses-ai-holidays-2024-11