Facebook's production of smart glasses with famed eyeglass brand Ray-Ban was officially revealed last year, but the glasses don't appear to be far off. According to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, glasses are the social media giant's next product pipeline.

Zuckerberg commented on the project during Wednesday's quarterly earnings call, saying it would be Facebook's next product to be released.

"Looking ahead, the next product release will be the first smart glasses from Ray-Ban in partnership with EssilorLuxottica," Zuckerberg said, according to the call transcript. The glasses have their iconic form factor and can do some pretty neat things."

These comments alone don't tell us much about what to expect, other than that the frames will likely retain the classic appeal of traditional Ray-Ban glasses. As such, the design may not be particularly gadget-forward, but it is probably aimed at consumers who are less interested in high technology.

However, we already know that these glasses are not augmented reality (AR) devices. That is, there is no visual unit that superimposes digital content or objects on top of real-world images. Facebook confirmed that detail last year and said the glasses would not rely on an integrated display. However, Facebook still has plans for AR glasses in the future.

"We're excited to get it into people's hands and continue to move forward on our journey toward full augmented reality glasses in the future," Zuckerberg added during an earnings call yesterday. He did not specify a launch target for the Ray-Ban glasses, but the smart glasses were first announced last year with a 2021 debut.

Apple is widely reported to be developing true AR glasses, but recent reports suggest that Cupertino will not adopt the concept until 2023 at the earliest. Facebook will therefore have the opportunity to work with Ray-Ban to develop more powerful AR glasses while launching glasses that are not AR glasses.

But that window may prove to be small: Snapchat recently announced its own AR glasses, Pokémon Go maker Niantic teased its own AR glasses, and compelling leaks have introduced Samsung's own AR rims.AR glasses could be the next big gadget frontier, with tech giants all jockeying for position.

Google Glass and Microsoft's HoloLens were both early wearable AR projects, but ultimately focused more on the business market than on consumers. Facebook and Rayban's Smart Glasses, which do not have built-in screens, could take the form of Amazon's EchoFrame, which has a built-in Alexa voice assistant, or Snap's Spectacles, which has a built-in camera.