Guest post by Henry Miller, Business Development Associate
We're excited to share the latest coverage on Lucyd in InvisionMag, a leading eyewear publication.
Silicon Valley and many other tech entrepreneurs have long attempted an intersection between the tech and optical industries to bring the capabilities and convenience of modern-day technology to a staple in many lifestyles and wardrobes. Despite the many attempts and different form factors, no company has been able to achieve this goal but as Facebook and Ray-Ban launch their latest attempt, is the optical industry finally ready to adopt smart eyewear?
With an estimated 6 billion smartphone users worldwide and 4 billion people who require some form of optical adjustments, there is clearly major potential for overlap in these areas that has yet to be taken advantage of. However, the tech companies that have attempted to do so, have used and continue to use the wrong approach. Some of the most prominent examples come from Google, Snap Inc (Snapchat), and Facebook who developed their products with a technology first mindset.
Users have ultimately been restricted by technological requirements such as needing a snapchat or Facebook account, price points that inaccessible to the average consumer, and designs that ultimately fail to assimilate amongst traditional frames. The optical industry will be reluctant to adopt new products and ideas if their customers are priced out of their budgets and are discouraged by their design. A consumer friendly and optical oriented approach in pricing and design is necessary for the tech and optical industry intersection to be successful.
Luckily, it appears that the situation is improving. Lucyd is an up-and-coming smart eyewear company that embodies this approach. Their audio smart glasses, the Lyte, connects wirelessly to any Bluetooth device and can be worn comfortably all day like a pair of headphones. Users can listen to music, podcasts, and other forms of audio while answering phone calls, or using voice assistants like Siri and Alexa. What separates the Lucyd Lyte from previous attempts are the Bluetooth glasses’ sleek profile that looks just like traditional eyewear frames and the consumer-friendly price point of $150. Users are not required to have any pre-existing social media accounts and can use their Bluetooth smart glasses in any way they want to.
