Google Glass Enterprise Version 2, the corporate’s work-focused model of its iconic however as soon as maligned smartglasses, is being discontinued.
Google says in a tool assist FAQ that, beginning March fifteenth, it can not promote Glass Enterprise 2, including that it’ll solely assist the gadget till September fifteenth, 2023.
Whereas the corporate says it’s not pushing out any extra software program for Glass Enterprise Version after that date, nevertheless its most up-to-date system photos will stay publicly accessible till at the very least April 1st, 2024.
Launched in 2017, Google Glass for enterprise was a revival of kinds, as the corporate had ceased manufacturing of the storied gadget in 2015.
Beginning in 2012, the corporate hoped to seed the gadget amongst prosumers with its Glass Explorer Editions, though public backlash spawned the time period “glasshole,” placing a extreme dent in Google’s ambitions to launch a extra consumer-focused model of the gadget.
Google hasn’t defined why it’s killing off Glass for enterprise. In response to PC Magazine, a Google spokesperson left this remark:
“For years, we’ve been constructing AR into many Google merchandise and we’ll proceed to take a look at methods to convey new, modern AR experiences throughout our product portfolio.”
To be honest, Google in all probability has greater fish to fry, and the getting older smartglasses platform could be changed sooner quite than later. Google stated final summer season it could be conducting actual world checks of its early AR prototypes, emphasizing issues like real-time translation and AR turn-by-turn navigation.
There’s additionally the problem of rising competitors. Apple’s upcoming blended actuality (MR) headset is rumored to reach someday in mid-2023, whereas Meta is prepping a number of generations of its MR Quest headsets.
Granted, these MR headsets in all probability received’t be the mannequin workhorses, though many corporations see MR headsets as a steppingstone in preparation for the kind of all-day AR glasses trade is hoping to commercialize within the close to future.
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To be clear, Google Glass is a mode of smartglass(es) and never an AR gadget as such; Glass gives a single heads-up show (HUD) that doesn’t place digital imagery naturally within the person’s perceived setting, like with HoloLens 2 or Magic Leap 2, however quite flatly initiatives the kind of helpful info you may also see on a smartwatch. You’ll be able to be taught extra concerning the variations between AR headsets and smartglasses right here.
