Want Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses? You have to book a demo first – and they are going fast

Meta formally unveiled its first AI good glasses with a built-in display, the Meta Ray-Ban Display, at Meta Join 2025. The corporate additionally revealed that the glasses will probably be out there to buy beginning on September 30. Nonetheless, if you wish to purchase a pair of the $799 good glasses, you’ll be able to’t simply pre-order them on-line. 

As a substitute you may should book a demo at one in all Meta’s retail companions akin to Greatest Purchase, LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, and Ray-Ban shops. And, not each retailer will probably be providing the demos of Meta Ray-Ban Show glasses at launch. So it’s a must to check the scheduling tool to discover a retailer close to you after which see what appointments they’ve out there. The LensCrafters website says that appointments take 20 minutes.

Additionally: I used the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, and they offer 2 breakthroughs to take us beyond smartphones
For those who have been hoping to buy a pair on launch day, you might already be out of luck. 

After I checked for demos in my space — the place there are a number of Greatest Purchase, Sunglass Hut, and LensCrafter retail shops — there was just one Greatest Purchase providing demos and the earliest timeslot out there to ebook was Oct. 11. After I typed in numerous zip codes in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, there have been much more shops providing demos however the earliest open slot I discovered was October 8. The overwhelming majority of the out there time slots have been in mid to late October. Some shops are already reserving into November.

Whenever you ebook a slot, it says that “You will be guided via a hands-on demo” and “Associates will provide help to discover the correct model.” To safe your slot, you additionally should click on an acknowledgement that claims, “I perceive that if I want prescription lenses, I have to know my prescription particulars or put on my contact lenses to correctly expertise the demo. Demo glasses have a prescription vary of -4.00 to +4.00 whole energy, single imaginative and prescient solely. Availability might differ.” 

Solely those that get the demo will be capable of buy the glasses. That is possible one of many ways in which Meta is coping with constrained provide of its subsequent technology product, which integrates a number of breakthrough applied sciences together with a monocular LCOS show and an EMG wristband for neural enter. Provide chain analyst Ming Chi Kuo has stated that Meta solely plans to fabricate 150,000-200,000 models of the glasses over the following two years. 

Additionally: Meta Connect 2025 live updates: Reactions to Ray-Ban Display, Oakley Vanguard glasses, more

The day after the official announcement of the Meta Ray-Ban Show glasses, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth did a Q&A on Instagram the place he defined why Meta is taking this strategy with gross sales of its new flagship glasses at launch. 

“We determined to place the [Meta Ray-Ban] Show on sale in retail shops first — and persons are establishing demos,” stated Bosworth. “A factor that occurs with tech merchandise is that they get bought by individuals who simply wish to attempt them out [and then return them]. And we wished to guarantee that they’re [bought by] … individuals who actually wished them. However it’s only a non permanent factor.” 

Bosworth added, “In fact, over time, we plan to have them out there on-line via meta.com and different retailers.”

It is smart that Meta would not wish to have a lot of returns of a product that’s troublesome to fabricate and in such brief provide at launch. Meta does a brisk enterprise in refurbished units of the classic Meta Ray-Bans, which ZDNET has recommended as a great way to pick up a pair of the smart glasses at a discount. However refurbishing the Meta Ray-Ban Show glasses with their costly parts and extra complicated know-how might be a a lot greater problem whereas the product is first coming to market.

Except for the reserving problem, ZDNET would suggest that almost all people who find themselves within the Meta Ray-Ban Show book a demo to get a have a look at the know-how; however if you wish to buy a pair of good glasses, then go along with the newly up to date Meta Ray-Bans Gen 2, Meta Oakley HSTN, or Meta Oakley Vanguard to get began within the ecosystem and see the place good glasses can match into your work and life-style.