Meta 推出 AI 裝置 Charm，後智慧型手機硬體競賽升溫

作者：阿迪蒂亞・索尼By Aditya Soni

路透加州門洛公園 9 月 23 日電——Meta 執行長馬克・祖克柏週三發表一款名為 Meta Charm 的小型手持裝置，可用於操作其新款 Muse AI 助理，使該公司的硬體布局從已成功的智慧眼鏡進一步延伸。MENLO PARK, California, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday unveiled a small handheld gadget called Meta Charm for using its new Muse AI assistant, taking the company's hardware efforts beyond its successful smart glasses.

這款 AI 裝置大小約等同 Apple AirPods 盒，配備約 2 吋觸控螢幕與內建 5G 連線。Meta 表示，Charm 將可在 12 月假期檔期出貨，但未公布價格。The AI device, about the size of an Apple AirPods case, features a roughly 2-inch touchscreen and a built-in 5G connection. Meta said Charm would be ready to ship for the holidays in December, but did not give a price.

祖克柏在加州門洛公園舉行的 Meta 年度裝置活動 Meta Connect 上表示：「我們把完整的 Muse 體驗，包括全套即時語音與虛擬人像技術，塞進一個可掛在鑰匙圈上、隨時都能對話的裝置裡。」"We pack the whole Muse experience, including the whole real-time voice and avatar stack, into something that fits on a keychain and is always available to talk to," Zuckerberg said at Meta's annual device event, Meta Connect, in Menlo Park, California.

Meta 這項意外發表，正值矽谷尋找智慧型手機接班產品之際。科技業者投入數十億美元，開發圍繞 AI 助理設計的裝置，讓這些助理能看見、聽見並回應周遭世界。從智慧眼鏡、穿戴式胸針到手持裝置，企業正押注 AI 將重塑消費者與科技互動的方式。目前仍不清楚哪一種裝置型態會進入主流。Meta's surprise announcement comes as Silicon Valley searches for a successor to the smartphone, pouring billions into devices designed around AI assistants that can see, hear and respond to the world around them. From smart glasses and wearable pins to handheld gadgets, companies are betting AI will reshape how consumers interact with technology. It remains unclear which form factor will reach mainstream status.

Meta 本身是從 AI 眼鏡起步，將其與依視路陸遜梯卡（EssilorLuxottica）的 Ray-Ban 合作，打造成該類別最早的成功案例之一。Meta itself started with AI glasses, turning its EssilorLuxottica Ray-Ban partnership into one of the first successes in that category.

這家社群媒體巨擘週三也展示其首款足夠纖薄、外觀可看似一般眼鏡的虛擬實境裝置，以及一款不搭載相機的智慧眼鏡；後者旨在緩解外界對 AI 裝置日益升高的隱私反彈，這類裝置能在未經同意下拍攝他人影片與照片。On Wednesday, the social media giant also showed off its first virtual-reality device slim enough to pass for glasses, and a pair of camera-free smart glasses designed to ease the growing privacy backlash against AI devices that can take videos and pictures of people without consent.

META 裝置將搭載 MUSEMETA GADGETS WILL HAVE MUSE

該公司也把爆紅的 Muse AI 助理擴展至旗下智慧眼鏡產品線，新增包括使用電腦，以及與 Walmart、Best Buy、Gap 等零售商與服務整合在內的功能。The company also expanded its viral Muse AI assistant across its smart glasses lineup, adding new capabilities including computer use and integration with retailers and services such as Walmart, Best Buy and Gap.

Meta 表示，Muse 將成為其眼鏡的主要介面，讓使用者能透過語音指令購物、預約並完成任務。Meta said Muse would become the primary interface for its glasses, allowing users to shop, make appointments and complete tasks through voice commands.

Meta VR Glasses 售價 1,299 美元，目標是媲美 Apple Vision Pro 等體積較大且價格更高的競品功能。這款裝置重量約等同一副撲克牌；其設計之所以可行，是因為將電池與處理器移至另一個獨立圓盤裝置中。該產品將於 2027 年春季上市。Meta VR Glasses, priced at $1,299, aim to match the capabilities of bulkier and costlier rivals such as Apple's Vision Pro. The device weighs about as much as a deck of playing cards, a design made possible by moving the battery and the processor into a separate puck. They will launch in spring 2027.

Meta 押注這款 VR 裝置能終於把這個類別推向主流。該裝置外型像一副深色包覆式鏡框，可回應眼動、語音與手勢；這個品類長期受高價，以及配戴數小時會不舒服的笨重頭戴裝置拖累。Meta is betting the VR device, which looks like a pair of dark wraparound frames and responds to eye, voice, and hand gestures, can finally take to the mainstream a category long held back by high prices and heavy headsets that are uncomfortable to wear for hours.

市場研究公司 Smart Analytics Group 創辦人琳達・隋表示：「把重量降到約 100 公克令人印象深刻，也可能改善使用者體驗。」"Bringing the weight down to around 100 grams is impressive and could improve the user experience," said Linda Sui, founder of Smart Analytics Group, a market research firm.

「不過，核心使用情境大致仍與先前的 VR 頭戴裝置相似。較高的價格也可能使其難以觸及主流消費者。」"However, the core use cases remain broadly similar to previous VR headsets. The higher price could also make it difficult to reach mainstream consumers."

名為 Ray-Ban Meta Audio 的新款無相機眼鏡仍會錄音，而且不像搭載相機的智慧眼鏡在拍攝時會閃燈，這款眼鏡沒有提供旁人錄音正在進行的明確訊號。批評者表示，僅移除相機可能仍不足以緩解隱私疑慮。The new camera-free glasses, called Ray-Ban Meta Audio, will still record audio and offer no clear signal to bystanders that recording is underway, unlike its smart glasses with a camera, which flash a light while filming. Critics say dropping the cameras alone may not be enough to ease privacy concerns.

Meta Audio 眼鏡是該公司透過與依視路陸遜梯卡合作推出的最新產品，將自 10 月 13 日起出貨，起價 349 美元。這比其最新版 Ray-Ban 眼鏡便宜 100 美元；後者仍搭載相機，並將推出兩種新款式：經典 Aviator 與貓眼 Zena。The Meta Audio glasses are the latest made through the company's EssilorLuxottica tie-up and will ship from October 13 at a starting price of $349. That is $100 cheaper than the latest version of its Ray-Ban glasses, which continue to have cameras and will come in two new styles: the iconic Aviator and cat-eyed Zena.

隱私疑慮揮之不去PRIVACY CONCERNS LINGER

外界對「看得越多、聽得越多就表現越好」的裝置日益憂心，Meta 一直是這些疑慮的焦點，並引發隱私訴訟，以及英國部分場館禁用。這場隱私辯論的結果，可能影響一個 Meta 等科技公司視為下一個主要運算平台、並可能取代智慧型手機的市場。Meta has been the focal point of growing concerns about devices that work better the more they see and hear, prompting privacy lawsuits and bans at some UK venues. The outcome of the privacy debate could shape a market that technology firms, including Meta, see as the next major computing platform and a potential replacement for smartphones.

市場研究公司 IDC 董事吉特什・烏布拉尼表示：「他們正在處理部分隱私問題，但仍有可能濫用音訊，或在未經同意下錄音。這才是真正的關鍵：一切都與同意有關。Meta 需要想出辦法提醒使用者，他們正在被錄音，即使可能只是音訊而已。」"They are addressing some of the privacy issues, but there is still the ability to kind of misuse audio or record audio without consent. And that is really the key here. This is all about consent," said Jitesh Ubrani, director at market research firm IDC. "Meta needs to figure out a way to warn users they are being recorded, even though it just might be audio only."

移除相機也可能削弱需求，因為拍攝照片與影片是智慧眼鏡最受歡迎的功能之一。這也會使該裝置與包括 Apple AirPods 在內的一系列純音訊裝置直接競爭。Losing the cameras may also blunt demand as capturing photos and video ranks among the most popular features for smart glasses. It will also put the device in direct competition with a range of audio-only devices including Apple's AirPods.

不過，Meta 表示，隱私並非採用純音訊設計的唯一理由，而且市場上確實存在對無相機智慧眼鏡的需求。該公司表示：「音訊從第一天起就是我們最受歡迎的功能，因為我們的眼鏡能提供高品質聲音，同時不會讓你與周遭世界隔絕。」Meta, however, said privacy was not the only reason for the audio-only design and that a market exists for smart glasses without cameras. "Audio has been our most popular feature since day one because our glasses give you high-quality sound without closing you off from the world around you," it said.

移除相機讓 Meta 得以打造迄今最薄、重量相當於一顆高爾夫球的眼鏡，並開啟 browline 風格的 Clubmaster 與方形復古 Burbank 等新設計。單次充電續航也延長至 12 小時，相較之下，最新第三代 Ray-Ban 眼鏡為 9 小時。Losing the cameras has let Meta build its thinnest pair yet, weighing as much as a golf ball, and opened up new designs such as the browline Clubmaster and squared, retro Burbank. It also stretched battery life to 12 hours on a single charge, compared with nine hours on the latest, third-generation Ray-Ban glasses.

（阿迪蒂亞・索尼報導；姆林梅・戴伊補充報導；莎揚塔尼・戈什與拉什米・艾奇編輯）(Reporting by Aditya Soni; Additional reporting by Mrinmay Dey; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Rashmi Aich)