Google has taken the wraps off the Glass Enterprise Edition 2.
The augmented reality headset builds on its predecessor across the board, and one big difference is it's being touted as a Google product rather than a "moonshot" experiment.
Google Glass 2 Is Now Official
In a blog post, Google announced its next-generation Glass and improvements made over the previous version based on user feedback.
For starters, it's powered by 3 GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1. According to the company, the new processor should make the wearable more power efficient and capable of delivering better performance and support for advanced machine learning capabilities.
Also, the glasses have a better eight-megapixel camera and a bigger 820 mAh battery with fast-charging technology via a new USB-C port. It also runs on Android Oreo now to allow easier integration of services and APIs that users already use, and it supports Android Enterprise Mobile Device Management as well.
Design-wise, it more or less sports the same look as the older model, but it's equipped with new safety frames from Smith Optics.
It costs $999, and just like its predecessor, it isn't available to the average consumer. Even though it's not exactly affordable, it's more accessible at its price point compared with the first $1,500 Glass Explorer Edition.
Why Isn't It Available To The Public Again?
For the uninitiated, Google initially geared the Glass headset toward the consumer market, but privacy concerns and the like prevented it from happening. As such, the company instead redesigned it for working professionals, such as surgeons, physicians, factory workers, and others.
Even though the normal user still can't readily get their hands on it, the company is making it more accessible to target customers by moving the Glass team from the X "moonshot factory" under the Alphabet umbrella to Google.
"Now, in order to meet the demands of the growing market for wearables in the workplace and to better scale our enterprise efforts, the Glass team has moved from X to Google," Jay Kothari, the Project Lead of Glass, said.
It's worth mentioning that the existence of the Glass Enterprise Edition 2 doesn't come as much of a surprise. After all, it got leaked back in March and revealed numerous details such as the new USB-C port and Android operating system, but what the new wearable is bringing to the table is now clear as day.
