Vuzix Announces General Availability of Z100 Smart Glasses

Rhea-AI Summary

Vuzix (NASDAQ: VUZI) announces the general availability of Z100 smart glasses at $499. The Z100 features Bluetooth connectivity with Android and iOS devices through the upgraded Vuzix Connect mobile app v1.7, weighs 38 grams, and offers up to 48 hours of battery life.

The glasses provide heads-up waveguide technology in a fashionable design, displaying notifications, updates, and messaging. Key features include safety certification, AI interface integration, fitness tracking, turn-by-turn navigation, and real-time translation capabilities. The device targets both enterprise users and general consumers, offering workflow optimization and smartphone app notifications in a lightweight, attractive form factor.

Positive

• Competitive pricing at $499 for advanced AR smart glasses
• Extended battery life of up to 48 hours on single charge
• Lightweight design at 38 grams, comparable to standard glasses
• Safety certification for enterprise use
• Versatile functionality including AI interface, fitness tracking, and real-time translation

Negative

• to monochrome display output
• Requires smartphone dependency for most features

Insights

Tech Product Analyst

The launch of Vuzix Z100 smart glasses at $499 represents a significant strategic pivot towards mass-market adoption. Key differentiators include the lightweight 38g design, 48-hour battery life and seamless integration with both Android and iOS platforms. The competitive pricing positions VUZI strongly against consumer AR competitors while maintaining enterprise functionality.

The product's dual-market approach (consumer and enterprise) expands the total addressable market significantly. The inclusion of AI interface capabilities, real-time translation and fitness tracking features addresses growing market demands. However, success will largely depend on developer ecosystem adoption and app availability.

Critical technical advantages include the waveguide technology and safety certification, though revenue impact will take time to materialize given VUZI's current market position and the emerging nature of the consumer AR market.

Market Research Analyst

This product launch marks VUZI's strategic entry into the consumer AR segment while maintaining its enterprise market presence. The $499 price point is particularly aggressive, positioning the Z100 between premium smart glasses and basic wearables. The timing aligns with growing consumer interest in AI interfaces and AR technology.

The focus on practical applications like translation, fitness tracking and navigation addresses clear market needs rather than speculative use cases. However, with VUZI's market cap at $78M, significant marketing investment will be needed to drive consumer adoption and compete with larger tech players.

­­­­-     Developers releasing feature rich transcription, navigation, AI and other exciting new apps

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Nov. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Vuzix® Corporation (NASDAQ: VUZI), ("Vuzix" or, the "Company"), a leading supplier of smart glasses and augmented reality (AR) technology and products, today announced the general availability of Vuzix Z100™ smart glasses,  priced at just $499.  The Z100 smart glasses provide users with the heads-up information display they expect from an everyday wearable. Vuzix Z100 pairs seamlessly via Bluetooth to Android and IOS smart phones that are running the newly-upgraded Vuzix Connect mobile application version 1.7, which pushes real-time information to the glasses, including notifications, updates, and messaging.

Vuzix Z100 smart glasses pack industry-defining heads-up waveguide technology into a sleek, fashionable form factor that weighs in at just 38 grams – the weight of a standard pair of glasses. Running up to 48 hours on a single charge, they deliver a crisp, transparent, monochrome image that can deliver important information hands-free while providing a natural AI delivery interface.

For enterprise users, these safety glasses-certified smart glasses are made for all day comfort. Using them, frontline workers can get a human-centered connection to AI and work process applications, receiving critical updates, convenient workflow and task confirmations, and instant notifications in real time, all while wearing a pair of sleek, attractive glasses. Vuzix Z100 smart glasses can augment the data feeds from finger scanners, sensors, controllers, and other equipment making that data available in a new and highly accessible format. Users can now have their workflows displayed in the heads-up display, providing human-centered outputs and real-time updates.

With the Vuzix Connect mobile app, wearers can easily configure their Vuzix Z100 smart glasses to show notifications from many of their smartphone apps, making reading texts and direct messages from social apps easy and instantaneous.  The upgraded Vuzix Connect mobile app now comes with a teleprompter feature, and provides a fitness application to help meet exercise milestones. Users can run or bike while monitoring their pace, and even their step counts while walking. Having this information readily in view is safer and more effective than having to look at a fitness watch, especially when enjoying outdoor sports. In addition, other apps can still be tracking and recording a workout while the Connect app is displaying these training metrics. The Android version of the Vuzix Connect mobile app can also be configured to display turn-by-turn directions from Google maps. Once again, this is critical when walking or cycling, when it's inconvenient and unsafe to be continually looking down at the phone.

The Vuzix Connect mobile app also features a translation and transcription engine.  This allows the wearer to see the text of what others around them are saying, just like watching closed captioning on a television, even if the conversation is in a different language. Unlike using these features on a smartphone, the wearer can remain engaged in the conversation, instead of focusing on their phone. 

"The Z100 takes AI/AR smart glasses to the next level, providing individuals with a hands-free AI interface that is indistinguishable from a traditional pair of glasses," said Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vuzix.  "The Z100 is an attractive, lightweight, and cost-effective way to augment current workflows with AI optimization software, inside a device that people will enjoy wearing all day, every day and it is built and priced with the broad market white label customer in mind."

For more information on Vuzix Z100 smart glasses, please visit: https://www.vuzix.com/products/z100-smart-glasses

About Vuzix Corporation

Vuzix is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of AI driven Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies and products for the enterprise, medical, defense and consumer markets. The Company's products include head-mounted smart personal display and wearable computing devices that offer users a portable high-quality viewing experience, provide solutions for mobility, wearable displays and augmented reality, as well OEM waveguide optical components and display engines. Vuzix holds more than 400 patents and patents pending and numerous IP licenses in the fields of optics, head-mounted displays, and the augmented reality wearables field. The Company has won Consumer Electronics Show (or CES) awards for innovation for the years 2005 to 2024 and several wireless technology innovation awards among others. Founded in 1997, Vuzix is a public company (NASDAQ: VUZI) with offices in: Rochester, NY; and Kyoto and Okayama, Japan.  For more information, visit the Vuzix website, Twitter and Facebook pages.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer

Certain statements contained in this news release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward looking statements contained in this release relate to Vuzix Z100 Smart Glasses, its features and capabilities, and among other things the Company's leadership in the Smart Glasses and AR display industry. They are generally identified by words such as "believes," "may," "expects," "anticipates," "should" and similar expressions. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are based upon the Company's beliefs and assumptions as of the date of this release. The Company's actual results could differ materially due to risk factors and other items described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Reports and MD&A filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable Canadian securities regulators (copies of which may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). Subsequent events and developments may cause these forward-looking statements to change. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise these forward-looking statements as a result of changed events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release, except as required by applicable law.

Vuzix Media and Investor Relations Contact:

Ed McGregor, Director of Investor Relations,
Vuzix Corporation
ed_mcgregor@vuzix.com  
Tel: (585) 359-5985

Vuzix Corporation, 25 Hendrix Road, West Henrietta, NY 14586 USA,
Investor Information – IR@vuzix.com  www.vuzix.com

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vuzix-announces-general-availability-of-z100-smart-glasses-302311326.html

SOURCE Vuzix Corporation

FAQ

What is the price of Vuzix Z100 smart glasses (VUZI)?

The Vuzix Z100 smart glasses are priced at $499.

What is the battery life of Vuzix Z100 smart glasses?

The Vuzix Z100 smart glasses can run up to 48 hours on a single charge.

What are the main features of Vuzix Z100 smart glasses (VUZI)?

The Z100 features Bluetooth connectivity, heads-up waveguide display, fitness tracking, turn-by-turn navigation, real-time translation, and smartphone notifications through the Vuzix Connect mobile app.

How much does the Vuzix Z100 smart glasses weigh?

The Vuzix Z100 smart glasses weigh 38 grams, equivalent to a standard pair of glasses.