March 17, 2023
Google has announced that the Glass Enterprise Edition, its business-grade augmented reality specs, will no longer be supported.
Google stated in an updated support page on March 15 that support for wearable devices will end on September 15, 2023. Users can continue to use the devices after this date, but no software updates will be delivered. The Meet on Glass vid-chat app that comes pre-installed on the devices will also be discontinued.
Google’s announcement does not explain why it has decided to discontinue Glass sales. However, it is speculated that the product was not profitable or widely used enough to justify its continued existence. Google’s previous foray into tech specs was difficult, with the first Glass device being unveiled in 2012 as a potential consumer device. The company expected to sell ten million units but fell far short of that target.
The Glass Enterprise Edition, a hardware upgrade to the original Glass aimed at businesses, was then announced by Google. The device’s system images will be available online until at least April 1, 2024, after which Glass Enterprise Edition users may be left without support.
The discontinuation of Glass could indicate a shift in Google’s priorities, especially given the company’s recent layoffs of 12,000 employees. It remains to be seen whether the company will return to the world of AR and VR.
The sources for this piece include an article in TheRegister.
