- Google Glass existed for almost exactly 10 years before being discontinued.
- Google Glass’ failure came amid widespread quality issues and a general lack of adoption.
- Apple’s smart glasses, the Apple Vision Pro, seem to be succeeding where Google Glass failed.
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First announced in 2012, and then released to a select number of product testers in 2013, Google Glass was thought by many tech experts and industry watchers to be a revolutionary new device that would change the way human beings and technology interacted.
With the benefit of hindsight, we now know those hopes were overblown.
So, what went wrong? A cocktail of factors led to the failure of Google Glass. But before we discuss the demise, let’s establish a baseline understanding of this once-promising hardware.
What did Google Glass do?
Google Glass was first developed by a lab formerly known as Google X. The secretive research initiative, which also developed the self-driving car technology now known as Waymo, is now a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google’s parent company.
Google Glass was like a heads-up display and a mini computer joined together in one pair of glasses. It placed a small cube of glass just before its wearer’s right eye and had a camera inset into the frame beside that cube.
The camera could be used to do things like identify objects or locations or project a restaurant’s menu or a subway station’s schedule before the user’s vision in real time. It could also share images and videos via Google Meet.
Google Glass even integrated with Google Calendar and could show wearers their schedules or event notifications.
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Google Glass used the Google search engine to summon information, allowing wearers to navigate the world hands-free and with their eyes raised from their phone while still enjoying all the benefits of a smart device.
The hardware was controlled via voice command or a touchpad on the side of the frame. Google Glass could also do many things a smartphone can, like send and receive texts, take photos, and so on.
Why did Google Glass fail?
Whereas Google Glass used a small, semi-transparent screen perched before one eye, an Apple Vision Pro headset fully covers both eyes and can create a truly immersive experience.
And whereas Google Glass simply added to its user’s real-time experience, Apple Vision Pro can transform it. The former can display videos, whereas the latter brings you into the visual experience.
Google Glass and Apple Vision Pro also used different control features. As noted, Google Glass was controlled by voice or by touch.
Apple Vision Pro is controlled by hand motions and voice, with those motions being highly precise. You can, for example, type on a virtual keyboard or pinch to zoom with your fingers simply grasping at the air.