Meta Platforms Inc’s rollout of new display-equipped Ray-Ban smart glasses in the European Union has been hampered by battery and artificial intelligence regulations in addition to supply constraints.
The social networking giant wants to launch the product in the EU but has been unable to secure enough supply, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
Other factors in the delayed EU launch include local regulations governing AI features and batteries, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. For now, the product is only available in the US.
Under EU rules, devices sold in the region will be required to include removable batteries by 2027, complicating matters for device makers looking to cram in as many features and electronics. Building in removable battery doors takes up extra space, potentially reducing the amount of battery life or forcing other compromises.
Meta is in discussions with the EU about the battery law and is seeking a carve-out for smart glasses developed both by it and other companies, the person added. The issue came to light this week when Andrew Puzder, the US ambassador to the European Union, said at an event that the glasses won’t be available in the region.
"Where is the one place in the world that you can’t sell these glasses? The European Union. Why? Because the battery isn’t removable,” he said.
A spokesperson for EssilorLuxottica SA, Meta’s partner and the owner of the Ray-Ban brand, declined to comment.
A Meta representative pointed to a blog post from January, when the company said the Display glasses had extremely limited inventory. At that time, Meta held off on an expansion into the UK, France, Italy and Canada and said it would focus on filling US orders.
But Meta also objects to the EU battery rule, saying it will hurt wearable devices, including glasses, watches, earbuds and pins.
EU regulations will restrict some of the AI-related features in the glasses as well. The AI capabilities are core to the Ray-Ban Meta Display device, and launching the spectacles in the EU without full functionality is unappealing to Meta executives.
It’s not the only company that has been affected. Apple has had to withhold some key software features in the EU in recent years to avoid breaking local laws. For instance, the rollout of the Apple Intelligence platform in the region was delayed by several months.
Meta has made wearable devices a key pillar of the company’s costly push into AI. Earlier this year, executives redirected some resources from its metaverse efforts to AI wearables instead.
EssilorLuxottica and Meta have big ambitions for the glasses. The partners have discussed doubling production capacity in 2026 to meet higher expected demand.
While the Ray-Ban-branded glasses are the most popular, Meta and EssilorLuxottica have also teamed up on Oakley glasses. And Meta is in discussion with Prada SpA, a longtime licensing partner of EssilorLuxottica, to produce high-end AI glasses using Prada’s luxury branding. – Bloomberg
