Google Glass Enterprise Edition Release Date: New Headsets To Sell Exclusively To Businesses
The Google Glass headset didn’t click in the way Google expected when it first came out, but the hybrid glasses-personal computer device is now getting a second life for a smaller set of consumers.
Parent company Alphabet Inc. has launched the Glass Enterprise Edition, a version of the headset that is built for companies and manufacturers. According to the headset’s new website, customers for the rebooted Google Glass headsets include various healthcare providers, GE and Volkswagen.
Read: Google Quietly Updates Google Glass Amid Apple Smart Glasses Rumors
Internally, Google Glass 2.0 features upgraded specifications and designs that are tailored for their new audience. According to Wired, the glasses include improved network hardware designed to meet enterprise security standards, a faster processor, bigger battery and a higher-resolution eight-megapixel camera.
Unlike the first-generation Google Glass, the Enterprise Edition’s camera will also show a red light when it’s recording. On the outside, the Glass Pod (which houses the headset’s electronics) can be detached and reattached to Glass-compatible frames like safety or prescription glasses.
Partner companies have found varying ways to use the Glass headsets. For manufacturers and factories, the Glass headsets are able to display information like assembly instructions or reference materials onscreen, so employees don’t have to switch between working and checking paper documents while on the job. Doctors at partner hospitals and medical facilities have also been able to use the headsets to automate note taking when they meet with patients.
How To Get The New Google Glass
At the moment, the scale for the new Glass headsets has been relatively modest, as around several hundred Enterprise Edition headsets have been sold so far. For now, the headsets aren’t expected to head to consumers either — Glass says it will focus on businesses and enterprise users.
With Tuesday's formal announcement, Alphabet wants to open up Glass and encourage more companies to consider integrating Glass frames into their workplace. Previously, the headsets were only available to a limited number of businesses, but interested companies can now sign up to learn more about the program through the Glass website.
In a statement announcing the rebooted Google Glass, project lead Jay Kothari said the new frames could be a boon for businesses and other partners.
“We first saw signs of Glass’ potential for businesses in the Glass Explorer days,” Kothari said. “As we said when we graduated, we’d been seeing incredible developments with Glass in the workplace. Now the Glass product team is back at X, and we’ll be collaborating with the Google Cloud team and our partners to help customers across a variety of business sectors make the most of Glass. Together, we’re looking forward to seeing more businesses give their workers a way to work faster and in a more focused way, hands-free.”
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Google Glass originally launched in 2013 and was initially a novel concept for consumers. The slim headset could be used to take photos or video and displayed information for users onscreen.
However, the headset soon experienced a backlash thanks to its uneven performance and privacy concerns over its video recording abilities. Google announced it would discontinue the initial version of the headset in 2015. Since then, companies like Microsoft have begun exploring similar enterprise-targeted applications for glasses and the rise of virtual and augmented reality have helped popularize the idea of supplementing the real world with digital overlays.
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