Meta plans to start testing an artificial intelligence pendant next year. This wearable device development blueprint has ambitious goals and aims to reverse the continued huge losses of its hardware division. An internal planning memo shows that the company plans to significantly expand its smart AI glasses product line and launch a service project for enterprises-"office wearable devices."
The memo was written by Alex Schimmel, vice president of wearables at Meta. He said that part of the purpose of this strategic layout is to promote the popularization of its artificial intelligence models and related products, including application subscription services and the consumer-grade intelligent assistant Hatch that the company is developing.
Currently, Meta is competing with technology giants such as OpenAI and Google. Each company is rushing to launch new smart hardware, hoping to drive the use of its own AI services. In addition to its own team's research and development, Meta has also launched related acquisitions. Last year, it acquired the artificial intelligence pendant start-up Extreme Intelligence.
Investors have long pressured Meta to improve its real-life lab unit. The unit, which oversees the consumer hardware business, has racked up tens of billions of dollars in losses over the years. The company’s previous bets on Meta and virtual reality head-mounted products have so far failed to achieve significant returns. As the strategic focus shifts to artificial intelligence wearable devices, Meta has shut down or scaled back some hardware projects, and the video calling device Meta Portal is one of them.
Although the initial market acceptance of its smart glasses is improving, Reality Lab is still losing money. Meta’s financial report shows that the department’s revenue in the last fiscal quarter was only US$402 million, but its operating losses exceeded US$4 billion.
Now, Meta hopes to create a continuous source of revenue with the subscription service of chatbot Yuan AI. This week, the company announced the launch of a two-level subscription package for this AI chatbot that is available on Facebook, Photo Wall and Wazipu. Related subscription services will also be extended to its smart AI glasses.
"If we want to build a sustainable business beyond hardware profits, we must rely on differentiated device software experiences to achieve commercial monetization," Schimmel wrote in the memo.
The memo revealed that Meta has set a radical goal: to sell 10 million wearable devices in the second half of this year by launching new products and expanding the sales market; and strive to achieve 6.8 million monthly active users of wearable devices by the end of the year. Glasses manufacturer Essilor Luxottica said in February this year that sales of smart glasses it launched in partnership with Meta in 2025 have exceeded 7 million pairs.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said last month that daily active users of its AI glasses have tripled year-on-year. "This product remains one of the fastest growing categories in consumer electronics," he posted on Facebook after the company released its quarterly earnings report.
The memo did not disclose the specific parameters of the new AI pendant, but the device may be equipped with a camera. The company plans to launch internal testing next spring.
Meta will also further enrich its own brand eyewear categories, no longer limited to the Ray-Ban co-branded and Oakley co-branded smart glasses previously launched in cooperation with Essilor Luxottica. The memo mentioned that the company plans to increase cooperative brands and styles and expand the matrix of consumer-oriented hardware products to expand its audience and increase gross profit margins.
This year's first glasses, codenamed "Modro", are expected to be officially launched as soon as next month. The new products codenamed "Luna" and "RBM2 Iteration" are scheduled to be launched in the autumn, and the fourth "Mojito Exclusive Edition" is scheduled to be launched in December. In addition, a number of internal prototypes code-named "Artemis" and "Super Sensing Glasses" will also be tested in the fall to prepare for subsequent releases.
The memo pointed out that the above-mentioned glasses and future new products will be equipped with Meta’s latest artificial intelligence model Muse Spark, subsequent iteration models, and the smart assistant Hatch that has not yet been officially released.
According to the plan, the company will also launch a wearable device developer platform for developers to launch applications for the devices. The new "office wearables" service focuses on corporate customers. Himmel said that enterprise users are willing to pay for hardware with vertical-specific functions. The team's goal is to reach pilot cooperation with at least 10 companies and complete deployment in at least two large institutions, with each institution having more than 100 access devices.
Competition in the field of artificial intelligence hardware is becoming increasingly fierce. OpenAI spent $6.5 billion to acquire io Products, a company co-founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive. According to reports, at the beginning of this year, OpenAI had a team of more than 200 people developing a full range of AI hardware, including a smart speaker expected to be priced between US$200 and US$300. Google also announced that it will join forces with Samsung to launch smart glasses this fall.