Google itself may not have ever officially written off its Glass wearable computer, but plenty of others certainly have. Now, it looks like the company may be shifting its focus to a decidedly narrower audience for its followup.
According to the latest in a series of reports from 9 to 5 Google, the next Glass won't exactly be version 2.0, but an "Enterprise Edition" that's aimed strictly at practical uses instead of more adventurous ones.
According to the site, which has been on the mark with these types of rumors in the past, the enterprise-focused model will be more rugged than its predecessor, with a hinge that lets it be folded like a regular pair of glasses, some added water resistance (and fewer buttons and ports as a result) and what 9 to 5 Google describes as a tweaked visual aesthetic to "better fit in a factory or a hospital."
Apart from that though, the general appearance is expected to be more or less the same as before, with a display over one eye, the computer portion resting over one ear and a band wrapping around the wearer's forehead. Not surprisingly, the internals are also reportedly getting an upgrade, including a larger prism display, a faster processor, "moderately improved battery life" and improved wireless connectivity.
Those interested in trying one themselves will likely be out of luck, however, as availability is said to be limited exclusively to partners in Google's Glass for Work program (at least initially). There's no word yet on when those partners will be able to get their hands on one, though.
