Meta Platforms Inc., ramping up work on a deluxe version of its popular smart glasses, plans to include hand-gesture controls and a screen for displaying photos and apps.
Bloomberg
The company intends to introduce its first glasses with a screen as early as the end of this year — a product it sees as a key step toward providing an alternative to Apple Inc.’s iPhone and other mobile devices, according to people familiar with the matter.
Meta employees estimate pricing for the device, which is code named Hypernova, will come in at over $1,000 and as high as $1,300 to $1,400, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing unannounced products. The final price is unlikely to be decided until closer to an announcement.
The company’s current smart glasses, the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, start at $299 and have been a surprise hit. Meta will continue to sell that entry-level version and is banking on their popularity to push users toward the higher-end models. Other companies, including Amazon.com Inc., have pledged new versions of their own glasses to better compete with the social networking giant.
The significant price increase for the new model is driven almost entirely by the screen, which is a monocular panel that will be located in the lower-right quadrant of the right lens. That means information will only be displayed in front of the wearer’s right eye and will appear most clearly when they are looking downward.
The company has already begun work on a second-generation version of the product, codenamed Hypernova 2. The major difference is the inclusion of a binocular display system, which means the device will have two screens and show information in both eyes. That device is currently planned for 2027, the people said.
The glasses with screens will mark another stepping stone toward Meta’s vision of true augmented reality glasses, which the company previewed last year. A Meta spokesperson declined to comment.
A look at a prototype version of the first Hypernova glasses indicates how the glasses are likely to work when they go on sale.
When they are turned on, the display shows a “boot screen” with logos for Meta and other partners — such as chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. — on the product.
Once the device is on, the user will see a home screen comprised of circular icons laid out horizontally, similar to the app dock on Apple devices or Meta’s Quest mixed-reality headset.
The glasses include dedicated apps for taking pictures, viewing photos and accessing maps. There is also support for notifications from phone apps, including Meta’s Messenger and WhatsApp.
The glasses will otherwise work similarly to the current Wayfarer-style Ray-Ban Metas, focusing on capturing images and video, accessing AI via built-in microphones and pairing with a phone for calls and music playback. The new version will continue to rely heavily on the Meta View phone app.
Like Meta’s other new devices, the glasses will run a highly customized version of the Android operating system from Alphabet Inc.’s Google. The company isn’t currently planning to include an on-board app store.
Users will be able to control the glasses using capacitive touch controls on the sides of the glasses, meaning they can scroll through apps or photos by swiping against the temple bars and then tapping to open something specific.
Meta also plans to begin offering a so-called neural wristband for the first time, which will allow a wearer to control the glasses with gestures, such as rotating their hand to scroll through apps and photos and pinching their finger and thumb to select items. Meta is currently planning to bundle the accessory, codenamed Ceres, in the box with the glasses.Meta also plans to upgrade the camera.
Internally, the company considers the 12-megapixel camera on the current models on par with an iPhone 11 from 2019. For the new model, it would like to rival the iPhone 13 from 2021, the people said. It’s also planning a new carrying case dubbed Heres, which is shaped like a triangular prism and folds up.
The Hypernova glasses are still months away from being introduced, and the company’s current plans could change. Meta is known for making product changes — or even axing new initiatives — late in the development process. About 18 months ago, it canceled a variant of the Ray-Ban Metas with the camera removed. That device, codenamed Luna, was designed to bring down costs and increase privacy, the people said.
Besides the Hypernova glasses, Meta is also finishing up work on new smart glasses without a display dubbed Supernova 2. They will operate similarly to today’s Ray-Ban Metas, but will instead be built on a glasses design from Oakley, Bloomberg has reported. This pair will be optimized for athletic use, including biking. The company recently began testing in public environments.
The Hypernova follow-up project for 2027 sets up some overlap with Meta’s work on true augmented reality glasses, which overlay interactive images, video and information over the real world. Those products require more advanced and expensive technology than the simpler so-called heads-up displays in the Hypernova devices.
The company last year announced prototype AR glasses dubbed Orion, but the the first version for actual customers is likely to be a follow-up product dubbed Artemis, Bloomberg has reported. It’s using Orion internally for software testing and app development purposes — and could ultimately seed it to developers. The Artemis device likely won’t arrive before 2027.
There are questions within Meta’s Reality Labs division, which develops these products, as to whether Meta will ultimately combine the Artemis and Hypernova products or if they’ll eventually arrive separately at distinct price points, the people said.
Womenswear retailer Sosandar has released a full-year trading update (to the end of March) and said that it’s been a period of “strong strategic progress with a positive year-on-year swing in margin and PBT”.
Sosandar
It added that it’s at an “inflection point back to top-line growth”.
In the year, the company “delivered what we set out to achieve: growth in margin and profit before tax [PBT], a reduction in price promotional activity and opening our first own stores”.
It added that it’s “now beginning to see the results of our disciplined approach coming through in our performance. March sales were in line with the prior year and this momentum has continued into April to date, with both own-site sales and sales as a whole ahead of the prior year”.
That said, PBT for the year “was softer than we had hoped, although a substantial positive swing compared with FY24. This was driven by slower February sales, but we continued to stick to our strategy and did not chase volume through implementing price promotions”.
PBT is expected to be not less than £0.5 million, which is better than a loss of £0.3 million in the previous year and a loss of £0.7 million in the first half of FY25.
Lower revenue of £37.2 million (down from £46.3 million) reflects the “continued transition away from price promotional activity”. And the improved gross margin of 62.5%, up from 57.6% in the prior year, reflects the continued focus on margin enhancement.
The company, which was formerly a pureplay e-tailer, opened its first six stores in FY25, and as mentioned, it said that post-year-end, April trading has “been strong, ahead of the prior year, building on the momentum seen in March and providing further confidence in the continued execution of the company’s strategy”.
UK retailers have had a lot to complain about recently, including business rates and National Insurance contributions. But one of their biggest bugbears is the so-called tourist tax and the government has signalled that it might be open to revisiting the issue.
Photo: Pexels/Public domain
VAT-free shopping for tourists was all-but-abolished in the wake of Brexit, despite retailers having expected/hoped that it would be expended to EU shoppers, potentially sparking a tourist shopping boom in Britain.
The then-Conservative government insisted VAT refunds cost it too much revenue (said to be £2 billion a year) and didn’t “directly benefit” British people. That was despite studies claiming the contrary and evidence that affluent consumers were shopping in Paris and Milan instead of the UK’s destination cities.
But while the current Labour government has stayed tight-lipped on the subject so far, the Culture Secretary has said in an interview with Elle that she’s heard “very loud and clear” calls from figures in fashion to bring back the perk. Lisa Nandy stressed that change isn’t currently on the agenda but the government would be “happy to look at the evidence”.
She said that if VAT-free shopping can be shown to be “a benefit, it’s something that we’ll explore, but at the moment, that’s not something we’re proposing to do”.
Since VAT-free shopping was scrapped in 2021, reports such as one from the Centre for Economics and Business Research have presented strong evidence to support its return. The CEBR claimed it cost the country £11.1 billion in lost GDP annually and means two million people are put off from visiting Britain.
Meanwhile, other reports have shown that European countries offering the VAT-free perk have seen higher tourist flows.
And Britain’s potential benefit from bringing back the perk wouldn’t only be about returning to the pre-Brexit status quo. If it was extended to EU shoppers, it would make the UK the only European destination to offer tax-free shopping to the many millions of consumers on its doorstep.
While the Treasury would lose the VAT on the goods sold, the claimed boost to GDP would come from the economic activity that higher tourist flows would spur. That would mean higher retail sales and higher retailer profits, more retail jobs, more hotels and restaurants booked and all the other activities tourists indulge in, all of which would result in more tax going to the Treasury.
Kith has teamed up with Adidas Football to debut a new collection that redefines the intersection of sport and lifestyle, set to launch this Friday.
Kith and Adidas launch global football-inspired collection. – Kith X Adidas
The collaboration spans apparel, accessories, and footwear, spotlighting co-branded logos and signature silhouettes. Standouts include a leather Stadium Coat with signature Adidas stripes and wraparound belt, a tailored Suit Jacket & Pant made from a premium wool-blend, and a reimagined adidas tracksuit offered in beige and green with custom knit detailing.
Kith and Adidas also collaborated with ESPN on exclusive football jerseys and a Hybrid Trench Coat. The ESPN Jersey is made of lightweight polyester with bold color-blocking, italicized Kith Monogram artwork, and triple branding from Kith, Adidas, and ESPN. The Nappa leather Hybrid Trench Coat complements the jersey with striped sleeve detailing, a zippered interior, and a multi-colored satin lining featuring ESPN branding.
Kith also tapped longtime collaborators Chase and DHL Express to create additional long- and short-sleeve jerseys.
Accessories round out the offering with a wide range of headwear, scarves, and bags. Caps, bucket hats, acrylic scarves as well as a leather crossbody and duffle bag are redesigned to showcase a variety of Kith for Adidas Football branding.
The footwear lineup features four custom Adidas styles: the Predator Mania with Kith Monogram artwork, a tonal Predator 2002 IC indoor cleat, the leather Koresco National in three exclusive hues, and the sleek Predator Megaride lifestyle sneaker.
The collection launches with a campaign starring Brazilian football legend Kaká, World Cup champion and Ballon d’Or winner, shot in his home country.
Entertainment8 years ago