Instead of a camera, the Luna glasses will reportedly include six microphones that allow users to chat to Meta AI and the new Muse AI agent, along with speakers for audio playback. Stripping the camera out has apparently made it possible to make the glasses’ arms smaller, and closer to ordinary frames. Meta is reportedly targeting to ship the new glasses in October in two styles: Clubmaster and Burbank.
It’s a delicate time for Meta’s smart glasses. While its existing frames have proven popular, they’ve also sparked a privacy backlash caused primarily by the camera. Bad actors have used the glasses to surreptitiously record people, in some cases intentionally harassing them in pursuit of social media virality, and the glasses have been banned everywhere from New York courtrooms to Britain’s largest pub chain. While the glasses are equipped with a recording LED, and Meta says the camera will stop functioning if this has been tampered with, the company has been caught in a cat-and-mouse game with a small group of users developing workarounds to record with the LED off.
The Information reports that the camera-free Luna glasses will be joined at Connect next week by new augmented reality glasses, codenamed Phoenix, capable of bringing up a virtual workspace or movie screen in AR. Those are set to release in 2027, and follow a similar AR concept device from 2024.
Removing the camera may not entirely solve Meta’s privacy woes. The new Apple Watch models announced last week drew some criticism for their always-on audio recording capabilities. Meta’s new glasses could still trigger their own concerns thanks to the combination of microphones and a design that makes them harder to distinguish from regular glasses. And when it comes to trust, Meta rarely gets the benefit of the doubt.