Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 Discontinued and Dead for Good
Do you remember the excitement over Google Glass? About ten years ago, Google introduced one of its first large-scale AR experiments with AR glasses that boasted a big, life-enhancing prospect — a head-mounted device with a head-up display you could interact with using your voice. Despite initial interest among tech enthusiasts, the general public was offended by the idea of people walking around with a camera constantly pointed at others. Hence, the term “glassholes” was soon coined, forcing Google to abandon its plans. The product remained alive only for enterprise uses with the release of the Google Glass Enterprise Edition, which saw a revision in 2019 with the Enterprise Edition 2. But now, it’s dead-dead, like, dead for good.
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Google has fully discontinued Glass Enterprise Edition 2 as of March 15 (via 9to5Google). While businesses that still find use for these headsets can purchase them at an MSRP of $999, these are now gone forever. Despite that, Google will still provide support for the device until September 15 for app updates and repairs, after which point it will be completely abandoned. Post that date, existing system images will remain, but even those will be lost over time. Google will keep these links up until “at least” April 1, 2024, after which the company may or may not remove them.
The end of Glass Enterprise Edition 2 is a bitter one for a device that caused so much hype back in the day, especially since it proved to be useful in the medical field, notably during surgical procedures. But perhaps the lack of use made it financially unviable, leading Google to eliminate it completely.
However, the silver lining is that Google has shown more interest than ever in VR and AR. During last year’s Google I/O, it unveiled brand-new AR glasses that may serve as spiritual successors to Google Glass. Perhaps, by removing Glass Enterprise Edition 2, Google paves the way for new and better things.
