U.S. technology and social networking conglomerate Meta Platforms, whose brand name is Meta, announced that it will open the first physical Meta store at its Burlingame campus on May 9, where users will be able to purchase and test all of its hardware products, as it looks to take another step in its much-hyped "Metaverse."
In collaboration with Ray-Ban, "Meta Store", Meta's physical store, will seek to provide interactive demonstrations for its users, where they will be able to make video calls through Portal ?devices for video calls?, learn how to use Ray-Ban Stories and explore the magic of virtual reality with a Quest 2 immersive, the first of its kind.
While Burlingame will be home to Meta's first physical store, it is in addition to the portal. www.meta.comwhere users can shop from the comfort of their mobile devices.
"Once people experience the technology, they can appreciate it better. If we did our job well, people should go away and tell their friends, 'You have to go see Meta Store,'" said Martin Gilliard, director of Meta Store.
With approximately 1,550 square feet, Meta sought to launch its first physical store near the Reality Labs headquarters, the space where they build the "metaverse."
"Having the store here in Burlingame gives us more opportunities to experiment and keep the customer experience a central part of our development. What we learn here will help define our future retail strategy," added Gilliard.
The company detailed in a statement that their goal with Meta Store, the physical Meta store, is to show people what is currently possible with their products, while giving a glimpse of the future as the metaverse comes to life and "hopefully" demystifying that concept a bit in the process.
"Meta Store will help people make that connection about how our products can be the gateway to the metaverse in the future. We're not selling the metaverse in our store, but we hope people will come in and learn a little bit more about how our products will help them connect with it," Gilliard stressed.
Starting May 9, the store will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time at 322 Airport Blvd in Burlingame, San Mateo County, California.
Attendees will be able to purchase the Quest 2 and accessories for it, Portal devices, and if they are interested in purchasing Ray-Ban Stories, a retail associate will help you order them directly at www.Ray-Ban.com.
"At Meta Store, we want you to interact with everything. We want you to pick things up. We want you to feel it," noted the company that formerly carried the Facebook name.
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