A Tech Giant Is Once Again Pulling The Shades On Its Smartglasses

Glass was Google’s early attempt to cash in on the trend of augmented reality smartglasses. The tech company first launched the concept then called Project Glass: One Day in a series of photos and a vira concept video. 

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The idea of clandestinely checking the weather and listening to music from one’s glasses was a new one in 2012 and the video first started to pick up steam both among supporters and critics. Many mocked the glasses for their bulky appearance.

The first prototype launched in 2013 with a purchase price of $1,500 but was canceled in 2015 due to low demand amid both high prices and concerns over consumer privacy issues.

Glass Is Now Gone For Good

In 2017, Google put an enterprise version of Glass out on the market but that product also failed to catch the public’s eye as did a follow version called Enterprise Edition 2, which retailed for $999 in 2019.

“Thank you for over a decade of innovation and partnership,” Google wrote on its Glass FAQ web page this week. “As of March 15, 2023, we will no longer sell Glass Enterprise Edition. We will continue supporting Glass Enterprise Edition as described in the FAQs below until September 15, 2023.”

Glass leaves the game even as the augmented reality market is still estimated to grow significantly, with total revenues at $142.4 billion in 2023 up from $13.4 billion in 2018. 

The idea of smartglasses has also grown less foreign as Snap  (SNAP) - Get Free Report and Apple  (AAPL) - Get Free Report both launched their own versions — Ray-Ban Stories is another model that has picked up popularity in recent years. 

Here’s How Google Glass Reflects The Company’s Troubles

While Google hasn’t ruled out re-emerging with another wearable eye product down the road, the company has been embracing austerity and, in a sluggish economy, cutting costs wherever it can when something isn’t bringing profit.

As of January 2023, the company laid off 12,000 staffers. While he left on his own, former Googler Praveen Seshadri wrote a viral note in which he blamed the management’s “lack of self awareness” about whom it’s supposed to serve on the current situation.

“Very few Googlers come into work thinking they serve a customer or user,” Seshadri wrote in the blog post. “They usually serve some process ('I'm responsible for reviewing privacy design') or some technology ('I keep the CI/CD system working'). They serve their manager or their VP. They serve other employees.”