Meta’s Ray-Ban Show glasses, which value $800, are a leap into augmented actuality with leading edge tech packed into a classy body. The iFixit staff discovered these glasses to be a marvel of engineering, particularly the glass lenses, however repairability is missing.
Schott and Lumus created the geometric waveguide glass, which is the star inside. This isn’t your common lens. A micro-projector in the fitting arm initiatives a 600×600-pixel picture through liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) know-how, bouncing mild off small mirrors within the glass. These mirrors focus the picture in your eye whereas remaining invisible to others, avoiding the annoying “eye shine” of earlier AR glasses utilizing diffractive waveguides. What was the end result? A pointy, non-public show in your decrease proper imaginative and prescient. Schott’s glassmaking precision—stacking, chopping and grinding layers with diamond wire saws—permits for this, nevertheless it’s so specialised that fixing a scratched or fractured lens is a pipe dream.
Ray-Ban | Meta Wayfarer (Gen 2) – Matte Black, Polarized Gradient Graphite lenses
- Faucet into iconic model and superior know-how with Ray-Ban Meta. Seize photographs and movies, hearken to music, make hands-free calls or ask Meta AI…
- Chat with Meta AI to get ideas, solutions and reminders. Plus, with dwell translation, you’ll be able to have a back-and-forth dialog in six languages…
- Seize photographs and movies hands-free with an ultra-wide 12 MP digicam. With improved video high quality you’ll be able to document sharp, vibrant recollections whereas staying…
Repairing these glasses is a ache to say the least. The 960 mWh battery in a single arm could final 6 hours of blended use, however switching it requires warmth, persistence and a agency contact to pry out sealed seams with out damaging delicate connections. Meta doesn’t present alternative batteries and even when they did, resealing the arm is a big gamble. The hinges, buried beneath bonded panels and small screws, are unattainable to search out. The audio system and microphones soldered in place require numerous talent to take away. In accordance with iFixit, these glasses usually are not repairable, there are not any modular elements or straightforward fixes.
Regardless of the tech—32GB storage, 2GB RAM and Snapdragon AR1 chipset—the design prioritizes compactness over sturdiness. The lenses, together with a Transitions auto-darkening one, degrade over time however changing them will not be an possibility. Examine that to different devices like iPhones the place repairability has made progress. Whereas Meta’s glasses give us a glimpse into the way forward for augmented actuality, repairs are an afterthought, it’s important to child an $800 machine or danger a costly alternative.
