Meta's annual Connect event brought a long list of announcements, from new AI glasses to Muse, a personal AI agent that will run on them. Further business announcements followed the week after, including an AI agent for small businesses and a new enterprise division. Here's a brief snapshot of the key highlights and how they relate to the New Zealand market.
Meta glasses are on sale in NZ
Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta glasses went on sale in New Zealand on 24 September, from $809, which means Kiwi consumers can now buy AI glasses locally. Meta says it will have more than 100 AI glasses options worldwide by the end of the year, including a slimmer Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) with longer battery life, and lighter audio-only glasses.
For brands, the device matters less than the behaviour it enables. Which brings us to Muse.
Muse is coming to AI glasses
Meta is bringing Muse, its personal AI agent, to the Meta glasses in the coming months. Users will be able to ask about a product on a shelf or a flyer on a wall, and hold longer voice conversations while Muse completes tasks in the background. Muse isn't available in New Zealand yet, but the direction of travel is clear. 
The interesting part for our industry is what a hands-free, voice-first assistant does to how people search, shop and create. Meta is adding US retailers and payment providers to Muse, including Walmart, Sephora, Shop Pay and PayPal. If discovery shifts from typing a query to asking out loud about what you're looking at, the questions for marketers are familiar but sharper: how is your brand found, described and recommended when there is no screen and no search results page?
Muse for Small Businesses
Muse for Small Business is an AI agent aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises. It connects to Instagram professional analytics, Facebook Pages and Meta ad accounts, plus tools such as Shopify, Canva, Intuit QuickBooks, Slack and Klaviyo. It can review ad performance, draft campaigns and content, build growth plans and run monthly financial reviews. Meta says nothing publishes, sends or spends without the owner's approval.
In a market as SME-heavy as New Zealand, it's worth watching closely. Muse is currently available in the US and Canada only, and Meta has not announced a New Zealand date. Agencies working with smaller clients may want to consider now how an always-on AI agent changes the value they provide.
Meta Enterprise Platform
Meta also announced the Meta Enterprise Platform, a new division to help larger businesses use its AI to grow. Product detail, pricing and launch dates are still to come, but Meta says it will start with tools including the Muse API. Mark Zuckerberg has called it the next major pillar of Meta's business.
Meta VR Glasses
Further out, Meta unveiled its VR Glasses, a lightweight headset alternative of around 100 grams, due in the first half of 2027. Meta is pitching them as a personal cinema, live sports seat and workspace. There are no controllers by default. You interact through voice, eye tracking and hand gestures, and Meta AI is built into the operating system. Worth a mention for anyone thinking about immersive formats.
Find out more about the new releases at the links below:
The Biggest News From Connect 2026
The Future Is for Everyone: Muse for Small Business
Comments