The entire expertise—from the standard of the show itself, to the gesture controls and the on-glasses capabilities—all feels polished and intuitive, notably contemplating that is Meta’s first business stab at such a product.
However right here’s the issue: As spectacular as they’re, I nonetheless wouldn’t purchase them. Outdoors of tech followers and early adopters, I don’t suppose lots of people will. Not this iteration, anyway. And that’s not even due to the arguably punchy $800 price ticket.
The factor that really lets them down is their aesthetic, and that’s not what I anticipated from the corporate that made so successful of the unique Ray-Ban Metas as a result of of their design. Whereas the originals (and their just-announced successors) principally appear to be Ray-Ban glasses, these, in what can solely be described as a obtrusive fake pas, are removed from being fashion-first. They appear to be sensible glasses, however the outdated variety you don’t actually need to be seen carrying.
Oh, there’s a whiff of the Wayfarer concerning the Meta Ray-Ban Show; you’ll be able to inform the intention is there to try to replicate the success of the most well-liked Ray-Ban fashion. However in some way distant alarm bells are ringing. Despite the fact that “assertion glasses” are trendy, these are only a bit too chunky to mix in.
At a look, you’ll be able to inform that one thing is occurring with them. We’ve arrived within the uncanny valley of sensible glasses, the place the refined bulges and added girth of the frames demand your consideration, however not in a great way.
Apparently, there is a refined nod to this shift in aesthetics within the naming construction. Whereas the unique Ray-Ban Meta glasses lead with the Ray-Ban branding of their title, the Meta Ray-Ban Show change that focus round. Which of the 2 manufacturers made that decision hasn’t been made clear, however these are Meta’s self-branded, tech-first glasses, and that feels a like misstep, particularly contemplating the expertise Meta already has out there.
