Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses sold better than most analysts expected. Now, according to a TechCrunch report, the company is working on another wearable: an AI pendant.
Details are thin - the report cites unnamed sources, and no timeline or specs have surfaced. But the direction fits Meta's broader strategy of embedding its AI assistant into hardware you wear rather than something you pull out of your pocket. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses gave users hands-free access to Meta AI for photos, calls, and quick questions. A pendant would extend that to a different form factor, one that doesn't require wearing anything on your face.
The AI wearable category has had a difficult few years. The Humane AI Pin launched in 2024 at $699 and was widely criticized for slow response times, short battery life, and a laser projection system that failed in bright daylight. Humane was eventually acquired by HP. The Rabbit R1 generated significant pre-order interest but couldn't deliver on its promises in real use. Meta entering this category carries different weight than those startups did - the company has an existing hardware supply chain through its relationship with EssilorLuxottica (Ray-Ban's parent), retail distribution, and tens of millions of users already interacting with Meta AI across WhatsApp and Instagram.
What ends up inside the pendant will determine everything. A microphone-and-speaker device puts it in direct competition with Amazon's Echo Frames. A camera adds the same privacy concerns that surrounded the Ray-Ban glasses at launch and the original Google Glass a decade earlier.
No launch date or price has been reported.