Meta – the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus, formerly known as Facebook – has announced to the world that it believes virtual and augmented reality will be the future of the human experience.
The tech company currently has three product lines that support these technologies, Meta Quest, Meta Portal, and most recently, Ray-Ban Stories eyewear to help customers discover what’s written on the company’s homepage. “the next evolution of digital connectivity”.
Now, Meta has launched its first retail store in Burlingame, California, about 13 kilometers from the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park. The store officially opened to the public on May 9, and let’s see what’s inside.
Due to its suburban location, it takes about 24 minutes to reach this retail location by car from downtown San Francisco. And it’s located in a large industrial area, so once you get there, locating the store can be a bit complicated.
From the outside, you’ll see a sign consisting of Meta’s blue infinity logo simply above the word “Store”.
Through the stained glass doors, you’ll enter a relatively small retail space and be greeted by an “ocean” of wearable tech devices.
The company’s Portal series products – Meta’s video-enabled calling devices – were displayed in rows.
Very quickly, you will realize that the most interesting place is the dedicated place for Meta’s smart glasses series.
The staff here, who wear the “expert” tag, will hand you an oblong tray containing the Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses.
Out of all the products available at the store, this can be said to be the one that many will consider buying the most. They allow you to take photos and video without opening your smartphone, and can play music and make calls through a set of microphones and speakers built into the frames.
At the back of the store, there’s a wall shelf that holds accessories like a charging dock and headphones to pair with other Meta products.
In addition, at the back of the store is a large surrounding screen that can understand the visuals of VR games being played by customers through the Oculus headset.
In the center of the store there is also a small soundproof room with a single chair, where customers can sit down and experiment with the interactive devices.
However, this room feels a bit like a zoo. Because the entire left side of the room is made of thick, transparent glass that overlooks the main retail space, allowing passersby to see how you’re experiencing AR technology.
While it seems that Meta has tried to make its stores able to bring the atmosphere and somewhat of the experience like Apple Store locations, it is clear that the quality and suitability of the products for consumers cannot match. worthy.
The space and layout of the online store feels quite cramped and claustrophobic, and if you remove all the products from the shelves, it is no different from a practical IKEA furniture store.
Refer BI
Leave a Reply