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Alphabet’s Google smart glasses, Google Glass have returned, and it turns out they never really went away… But this time instead of attempting to... Google Glass Returns, Marketed Exclusively for Business

Alphabet’s Google smart glasses, Google Glass have returned, and it turns out they never really went away…

But this time instead of attempting to sell it to the consumer market, the tech giant are selling it directly to industry and business calculating that the new ‘Glass Enterprise Edition’ with all new hardware and an updated design will be a big hit with its business specific focus.

I thought Google Glass had been shattered?

A common misconception. Don’t worry, you were not alone. Google Glass was indeed a bit of a misfire with people the world over when Google launched the product. Fears over privacy intrusion, and other criticisms, including the fact they weren’t exactly all that stylish or the most fashion conscious accessory, not helping sales of the smart glasses.

Indeed, sales of the consumer market focused Google Glass began poorly and then tailed off, resulting in Google pretty much pulling the project a few months after they were launched, three years ago. In early 2015, Google quietly closed down the Google Glass site, taking the time to thank its users for “exploring with us.”

The new Google Glass, coming to an industry near you; unless your job has already been taken over by robots, in which case it may be coming to an industry near you, but you wont be seeing it. 

A new purpose

But that said, despite it’s shaky start, Glass actually has found itself being used quite a lot by workers in certain industries. Anyone who thought that Google Glass had just been left on the shelf is sorely mistaken. The resurgence for Glass lies with Alphabet X, Google’s “moonshot” branch. The new look Glass, while similar to the originals has been imaginatively given the name, “Glass Enterprise Edition.”

In a blog post last Tuesday, Google Glass project leader, Jay Kothari, highlighted the fact that several companies, including GE Aviation, DHL, Boeing, and Volkswagen had been successfully using Glass in its day-to-day business operations since the product was launched. According to Kothari, some 50 companies are currently using the smart glasses, and Google have continued to develop and sell Glass to them. So it appears that Google may have found a profitable niche for its smart wearables. As a result, the new upgraded version just launched by Google will be targeted directly at the enterprise market hoping that other companies will buy into the idea of Google developed Smart wearables.

Enterprise and Industry

The new Enterprise edition of Glass has been redesigned by Alphabet X to be more comfortable and also far more durable than the original consumer model of 2015. Glass glasses can now fold, have a larger display area and a faster Atom processor. “We’ve … made improvements to the design and hardware so that it’s lightweight and comfortable for long term wear. We’ve increased the power and battery life too,” said Kothari. “Based on the positive feedback we’ve received from these customers in a special program we’ve been running for the past two years, we’re now making Glass Enterprise Edition available to more businesses through our network of partners.”

Kothari also said that the future of Google Glass will be linked directly to the future working practices.

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