Oprah Winfrey endorsed Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, naming them ‘the gift of the season’ in her holiday gift guide. The AI-powered glasses, capable of translating languages, identifying landmarks, and more, have seen strong consumer demand since their September 2023 launch. The endorsement has boosted their popularity, with resale prices already soaring.
Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses received a major endorsement from Oprah Winfrey, who named them “the gift of the season” in her highly influential annual holiday gift guide on Oprah Daily.
“The gift of the season! I’ll be giving these to lots of folks this year,” Winfrey said of the AI-powered glasses. She highlighted their ability to translate foreign languages, identify landmarks, take photos, play music, and handle phone calls.
The endorsement from Winfrey, known for creating retail sensations through the so-called “Oprah Effect,” comes as Meta reports strong consumer demand for the smart glasses, which were launched in September 2023.
During Meta’s recent earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasised the product’s unexpected success. “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,” Zuckerberg said, noting that the glasses have become “a bigger hit sooner than we expected.”
The popularity of the smart glasses is already evident in the resale market. A limited-edition clear version, originally priced at $429, is now selling for over $1,000 online, according to Zuckerberg.
Meta’s chief financial officer, Susan Li, revealed that the company has adjusted its product roadmap in response to the glasses’ success and is “investing appropriately behind the consumer momentum.”
The future looks promising for smart glasses technology, with EssilorLuxottica CEO Francesco Milleri predicting they could eventually replace smartphones in popularity. Winfrey appears to share this optimistic outlook, recommending the glasses as the perfect gift for “the traveller, the techie, and the trendsetter.”
