Feng Huang Wang·2025-09-26 13:24Core Insights - Meta's hardware division, Reality Labs, has incurred over $68 billion in losses over the past four years, highlighting the challenges of hardware development [1] - Despite launching several products, Meta's hardware efforts have not significantly reversed these losses, with only about 2.8 million units of Ray-Ban smart glasses shipped in the past year, representing approximately 1% of Apple's iPhone sales [1] - Analysts predict that Reality Labs will face an operational loss of nearly $20 billion this year [1] AI Opportunities - Meta is positioning itself for the AI era, believing that Apple's dominance in consumer devices is not unassailable [2] - CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasizes the importance of smart glasses in achieving a vision of "super intelligence," which refers to AI surpassing human intelligence [2] - The latest Ray-Ban Display smart glasses feature enhanced functionalities, such as real-time subtitles, indicating a shift towards more advanced AI integration [2] Product Development - The new Ray-Ban Display smart glasses are priced at $799, significantly lower than Apple's Vision Pro headset priced at $3,500, but still require further refinement [3] - The glasses are designed to project data directly onto the lenses and include a wristband for gesture control, showcasing innovative features [3] Investment Strategy - Meta's substantial investment in AI is seen as a strategic move to explore new user interactions with AI, moving beyond traditional devices like smartphones and PCs [4] - The company has a competitive edge due to its vast user base of nearly 3.5 billion daily active users and strong profitability from its core advertising business, which supports ongoing investments [4] - Meta's operating profit margin of 44% as of June is 12 percentage points higher than Apple's, despite significant losses in Reality Labs [4] Competitive Landscape - Analysts note that Meta's new smart glasses reflect the company's "full-stack approach" to building an AI platform, leveraging its proprietary hardware and unique data sets [5] - The concept of a "facial computer" is proposed as a product that could naturally align with AI advancements, indicating potential future growth areas for Meta [6]