Among the wide variety of product release events hosted by tech conglomerates, Meta’s Connect is one that garners a lot of attention from technology enthusiasts, industry leaders and consumers alike.

In its latest edition, Meta Connect 2024, the company revealed its latest lineup of consumer products and the latest in its AI technology as well as “the technologies of the future.”

All this just on the first day of its two-day event, which runs on September 25 and 26, 2024.

So, what new and exciting product announcements did Meta make and how will its new AI updates help users? Let’s explore!

Meta Orion

 

• Previously codenamed Project Nazare, Meta finally unveiled Orion, its “first true augmented reality glasses.”

• Orion is uniquely non-unique, as it brings the powerful immersive capabilities of augmented reality (AR) to a pair of glasses that retains the ordinary look and feel of regular glasses.

• This doesn’t stop it from being the most advanced pair of AR glasses ever made and delivering “breakthrough inventions in virtually every field of modern computing.”

• Currently, Orion is available only to Meta employees and a few external testers to help refine the product and its technology.

• It comes with large holographic displays that use the physical world as its canvas, enabling users to enjoy 2D and 3D content wherever they want.

• Users can access WhatsApp and Messenger, make hands-free video calls and use Meta AI for a range of tasks including gaining information about objects in the physical world while remaining attentive and present in the real world.

• Driving innovation further, Orion focused on miniaturizing its components to fit in a fraction of a millimeter, is powered by a custom chip and weighs less than 100 grams.

• Going well beyond the limitations of smartphones, Orion offers the largest field of view in the smallest AR glasses form to date.

• These lightweight glasses help bridge the gap between being present in the physical world and accessing virtual experiences.

• As for the future, Meta plans to make the glasses smaller, sharper, faster and cheaper.

Meta Quest 3S

 

• Meta’s newly launched Quest 3S mixed reality (MR) headset is similar to its Quest 3 in terms of MR capabilities and performance but comes at a lower price.

• It serves as a low-cost upgrade from Quest and Quest 2 for new or experienced users looking for cost-effective advanced MR capabilities.

• The Quest 3S starts at $299.99 for the smaller headset, while the larger one is priced at $399.99.

• The device will be available on October 15.

• Meta announced it rebuilt Meta Horizon OS for spatial computing and made improvements to the Quest ecosystem.

• Ahead of this, the company is dropping the price of its 512GB Meta Quest 3 from $649.99 to $499.99.

Ray-Ban Meta Glasses

 

• Meta also announced it was adding new and improved AI feature updates to the Ray-Ban Meta glasses.

• These include enabling users to remember things like where they parked, translate speech in real-time, scan QR codes and phone numbers, answer questions about things they’re looking at and more.

• Updates to Meta AI will make it easier to have conversations with the AI assistant, where users can begin by saying “Hey Meta” and ask follow-up questions without having to reuse the phrase.

• This can also be used to record and send messages on WhatsApp and Messenger, completely hands-free.

• The AI assistant is also getting video capabilities, allowing users to get help in real-time with real-world objects.

• Meta is also partnering with Audible and iHeart and advancing its integrations with Spotify and Amazon Music, enhancing users’ music and audio experiences.

• Partnering with Be My Eyes, blind and low-vision people can get assistance with what’s in front of them

• The Ray-Ban Meta glasses will also come with a limited special edition transparent look and transitional lenses. 

Meta AI

 

• Meta is adding voice capabilities to Meta AI on Messenger, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram DM, which will provide responses in audio format.

• The company is also bringing new voices for users to choose from, including Awkwafina, Dame Judi Dench, John Cena, Keegan Michael Key and Kristen Bell.

• Additional updates include advanced editing and inquiry capabilities and other enhancements for photos.

• Over 400 million people use Meta AI monthly and 185 million use it across Meta products each week.

• Meta is also bringing expanded tools and capabilities for its business AIs, including aiding customers with answering questions, discussing products and finalizing purchases.

• The company also released Llama 3.2, which includes small and medium-sized vision LLMs (11B and 90B), and lightweight, text-only models (1B and 3B) optimized for edge and mobile devices.

Do you think these announcements by Meta will help it capture a strong position in the AR/VR/MR/XR market?

Let us know in the comments below!

For now, we wait to see what the company brings us on the second day of Meta Connect 2024!