Google Glass was loathed too. Unfortunately Zuckerberg learned the wrong lesson from its failure - that the issue was that people could recognize the glasses and know they were being recorded and not the actual recording itself.

> A few years ago a device with similar capabilities would have been the coolest gadget ever

Not at DEF CON, no.

It absolutely would not have received a positive reception at an event like DEF CON. They’ve always had a strict photo policy.

I think AR glasses are loathed.

But the camera takes this to extreme anti-social levels.

I don’t think so, google glass set the precedent

Google Glass came out in 2013 and got a similar reception.

Google's device also suffered from making the user look ridiculous, like a gargoyle out of Snow Crash, but at the end of the day most people had the same core issue with it as they have with the Meta glasses which is that people don't like the idea of being filmed in public, especially when the filming is somewhat surreptitious (since you don't have to hold bulky camera gear, or at least a phone-sized device to do it)

Of course you have the legal right to film people in public spaces in many jurisdictions, but you're likely to be socially ostracized for it (and IMO rightfully so).

I am fairly certain the goal of putting cameras on glasses is to poison the well for the rest of wearable computing while also testing the limits of user acceptance.

They don't care if it succeeds. They just don't want to lose.