Meta introduces a subscription for its glasses. You have paid for the glasses, but there is now a paywall for certain features. And Meta’s emphasis is on “currently,” so further features may follow that end up behind the paywall.
What exactly now costs money? The company announced that the “Conversation Focus” feature of the Meta glasses will soon be limited to three hours of use per month unless you pay for a “Meta One Premium” subscription worth $19.99.
With the “Conversation Focus” feature, you can amplify the voice of your conversation partner so that it can be heard better in noisy environments.
But even then you are limited: Even premium subscribers are said to only receive 15 hours of “Conversation Focus” per month, according to the new guidelines.
Subscription over 20 euros for a feature that probably costs Meta nothing
Meta emphasizes that no subscription is required for the normal use of the glasses. Thus, one should not literally see black when using the glasses without a subscription.
It is strange, however, that Meta is introducing a restriction for a function that presumably costs the company nothing, at least regarding servers and AI. Because the “Conversation Focus” feature requires neither AI nor internet access. The function operates, according to TheVerge, on the chip of the glasses and does not require a Meta server. So theoretically, it only needs the glasses and a charged battery.
What we do not know: In the end, Meta may be paying hidden licensing fees for the function that they now want back through the expensive subscription. But that is sheer speculation since this has neither been denied nor confirmed by Meta.
Meta spokesperson Tyler Yee explained to The Verge:
Out of the box, you have access to core AI features like voice assistant, live translation, ‘Look and Ask’ and more. The subscription only unlocks additional access and more powerful features on your AI glasses. Currently, this includes only enhanced access to ‘Conversation Focus’ and premium device support.
This “currently” does suggest that Meta may incorporate further functions into a subscription, but it also sounds like some functions may remain excluded.
Mark Zuckerberg, head of Meta, presented the smart glasses as the successor to the smartphone. The sales figures for such models are rising, but young people are rather rejecting these devices. You can read more about it directly on MeinMMO: Mark Zuckerberg announced the end of smartphones, but many young people reject its successor for good reason
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