Popularity Of Meta Smart-Glasses Erupt As Apple Vision Pro Demand Vanishes

Demand for Meta’s smart Ray-Ban glasses has been explosive, surpassing Apple Vision Pro in late 2024. New app download data from the fourth quarter of 2024 suggests Meta’s mass-market appeal is primarily driven by price affordability.

Goldman’s Jack McFerran showed Sensor Tower data that revealed a massive 200% year-over-year increase in the “Meta View” app downloads in 4Q24, suggesting that these glasses, priced at around $300, were a hit with consumers during the Christmas holiday shopping season.

Source: Goldman

McFerran laid out Meta’s wearables product roadmap through the end of the decade:

True AR Glasses speculated for release in 2027 with potential support from an accompanying wrist strap, with potential to open Orion Prototypes to software developers in 2026 – noting recent comments that productscurrently cost US$10k to manufacture; and

Prototypes of Advanced Earbuds which also include cameras and are similar functionality to current Ray-Ban Meta frames are also being investigated, but face difficulties around visibility.

Zuck showing Meta’s new glasses,it’s called Orion.pic.twitter.com/JbDo8HvViJ

— AshutoshShrivastava (@ai_for_success) September 25, 2024

“That is a very real-time data point on sales. Louise and Ben have pulled the app data so we can see quite how bumper xmas really was,” McFerran.

Wearable sales at Meta could contribute 5% of revenue by 2028, up from 1.2% last quarter.

Google Search trend for “Meta glasses” spiked in the second half of 2024.

And we wonder why.

Zuck might have something here. On the other hand, Tim Cook struck out with $3,500 Vision Pros.