If you remember Google Glass, the augmented reality headset introduced in 2013, canceled in 2015, then brought back in a business-oriented “enterprise edition” in 2017, you may be surprised to know Google has finally decided to end that edition this week.
Google announced on its Glass page(Opens in a new tab) that it would stop selling the enterprise edition immediately, and would end support of it in September.
Google Glass’ first prototype dropped in 2011 as a project from what USA Today called its “black ops innovation lab”,(Opens in a new tab) Project X. Though that prototype weighed eight pounds, by the time it was introduced for sale to the public, it weighed about the same as a pair of sunglasses, according to The New York Times.(Opens in a new tab)
Though there was a lot of fanfare about Google Glass, the product was met with low sales and battles over privacy, and not just with the user. According to Tom’s Guide(Opens in a new tab), one of the biggest concerns was over how Glass could take videos and photos of people without the subject knowing.
Also, a Google Glass unit costs $1,500.
Google Glass reintroduced for businesses in 2017
In 2015, Google took Glass off the market, then reintroduced it in 2017 as a business-centric model. In 2019, Google was selling a $999 version.
The end of Google Glass comes at a time when other tech concerns, like Meta and Apple, are going further into augmented reality, according to CNBC.(Opens in a new tab)
In addition, as Tom’s Guide points out, the program Google Lens, which employs Google search on images, likely owes a great deal to Glass.
