Meta is developing an AI pendant with internal testing reportedly set to begin in spring 2027, according to an internal memo obtained by The Information on May 30, 2026. The company is betting on wearables to reverse Reality Labs' colossal losses.
An internal memo reveals three strategic axes
The document originates from Alex Himel, Meta's vice president of wearables. This internal memo, reviewed by The Information, outlines a roadmap centered around three priorities: the development of an AI pendant, a significant expansion of its smart glasses line, and the launch of a business-focused offering called "Wearables for Work." Meta declined to comment on this information, which has not yet been officially announced by the group.
The pendant itself remains an embryonic project. The memo does not specify its definitive technical characteristics, but according to The Information, the device could integrate a camera. Internal testing, referred to as "dogfooding" in the industry, is scheduled for spring 2027, leaving nearly a year of development before even the product validation phase.
The acquisition of Limitless, the starting point of the project
The project is not starting from scratch. In December 2025, Meta acquired Limitless, a California-based startup that had been selling a AI pendant sold for $99, capable of being attached to clothing or worn as a necklace. The device continuously recorded conversations, generated summaries and transcripts, and created a searchable database of everything the user had said or heard. The company had raised over $33 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Sam Altman.
In a statement provided to TechCrunch at the time of the acquisition, Meta indicated its intention to "accelerate our work to build AI-enabled wearables." (accelerate our work to build AI-powered wearables)Meanwhile, Dan Siroker, CEO of Limitless, wrote in the official announcement published on the company's website: "We're no longer working on a weird fringe idea. We're building a future that now seems inevitable." (We're no longer working on a fringe idea. We're building a future that now seems inevitable.)
Since the acquisition, Limitless has stopped selling its pendants to new customers. Existing users are receiving an unlimited free plan for at least one year, along with access to software updates.
An expanding range of glasses at an accelerated pace
Beyond the pendant, Alex Himel's memo outlines an ambitious roadmap for Meta smart glasses. Currently limited to the Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta models, developed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, the range is expected to expand to new brands and styles to reach a wider audience and improve margins. According to The Information, four models are planned before the end of 2026: the first, codenamed "Modelo," would launch as early as June, followed by "Luna" and a new Ray-Ban model in the fall, before a final model named "Mojito VIP" concludes the year in December.
Meta is also working on more advanced models integrating what the group calls "supersensing": cameras and sensors capable of operating continuously for several hours, to allow the AI assistant to follow the thread of an entire day. These glasses could, according to the memo, alert the user if they have forgotten their keys or remind them to buy an ingredient for dinner. Two models codenamed "Artemis" and "SSG" (for "supersensing glasses") are under development, with no confirmed timeline at this stage.
The commercial momentum of the existing range argues for this expansion. EssilorLuxottica confirmed in February 2026 that more than 7 million pairs of Ray-Ban Meta were sold in 2025. Mark Zuckerberg, during the presentation of the first quarter 2026 results, stated that daily use of these glasses had tripled in one year, calling the product "one of the fastest-growing categories of consumer electronics ever". (one of the fastest-growing categories in consumer electronics history)
The financial pressure on Reality Labs
This product offensive is part of a context of structural losses. Reality Labs, Meta's hardware division, recorded a loss of $4.03 billion in Q1 2026 on revenue of only $402 million, according to Meta's quarterly financial report. This result is part of a strong trend: since 2021, the division has accumulated over $83.5 billion in cumulative losses, an average of $4 billion per quarter.
Faced with this, Alex Himel sets precise commercial objectives in his memo: to sell 10 million wearable devices in the second half of 2026 and to reach 6.8 million monthly active users by the end of the year. To achieve this, the group is combining the launch of new models with geographic expansion into new markets. Meta is also focusing on software monetization: the group launched two subscriptions this week for its AI assistant Meta AI, Meta One Plus at $7.99 per month and Meta One Premium at $19.99, available on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and soon on smart glasses. These plans provide access to more computing power, in-depth model reasoning, and more image and video generation. A program allowing third-party developers to integrate their own applications on Meta wearables is also in preparation.
A market with a difficult past
The history of AI wearables is littered with resounding failures. Humane's AI Pin, sold for $699 with a monthly subscription, was panned by critics upon its release in 2024 for its slowness, overheating issues, and limited utility. HP eventually acquired the startup's assets for $116 million in February 2025, a collapse of 86% from the company's maximum valuation. The Rabbit R1, launched at CES 2024 with much media fanfare, has hardly convinced consumers any better.
However, Meta occupies a structurally different position from these precursors. The group already has an installed base of several million users with its Ray-Ban Meta glasses, a global distribution network, and an investment capacity unmatched by the startups that failed before it. The pendant would not be an isolated product attempting to create a new category ex nihilo, but a second format within a hardware ecosystem that has already proven its commercial appeal. Future devices will be powered by Muse Spark, Meta's latest AI model, and by an as-yet-unlaunched AI agent codenamed "Hatch". The issue of continuously captured personal data, and how Meta will use it, will nevertheless constitute a significant trust obstacle to overcome with consumers.
An industrial race with three players
Meta is not alone in this field. OpenAI acquired io Products, the company co-founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, for $6.5 billion, and is reportedly mobilizing over 200 people on a range of AI devices including a smart speaker and, according to some sources, a smartphone. Google, for its part, announced in May 2026 smart glasses developed in partnership with Samsung and Qualcomm, expected in the fall of the same year.
The roadmap revealed by Alex Himel's memo illustrates the transformation Mark Zuckerberg seeks to achieve: to make Meta a key player in consumer AI hardware, not just a social media platform. If sales targets are met and if the pendant meets expectations regarding utility and privacy respect that its predecessors never satisfied, the group could finally begin to justify the tens of billions invested in Reality Labs since 2021. To do so, Meta will have to convince consumers who have already seen too many unfulfilled promises in the category.
No comments yet — start the discussion!