Google Inc. announced on its website Wednesday that the company has stopped selling the enterprise version of Google Glass and will stop software support in September this year. The move marks the end of the Google Glass product line, which was one of the first and most recognized smart glasses launched by the big tech company.
Google essentially stopped selling Google Glass for consumers in 2015 and has since focused on how to make the glasses useful for businesses and developers, but even those efforts have come to an end. Google spokesman Patrick Seybold said the company is no longer selling Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 Enterprise Edition. A help file shows that Google will end support for the AR glasses on Sept. 15.
Google said Google Glass will still be available after Sept. 15, but Google does not plan to release any software updates. Google’s support cutoff will also extend to the glasses’ built-in Meet app and repair service. “The app may stop working at any time after September 15, 2023.” Google’s support page warns. Until that deadline, however, “Google will continue to replace devices under the existing process.”
Google first sold Google Glass to developers and early adopters for $1,500 (currently about RMB 10,350) in 2013 and quickly fired up the imagination of tech enthusiasts. But despite the support of Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the Google Glass project never became a mainstream product, and the built-in camera sparked a debate over privacy. in 2017, Google decided to position the product as an enterprise tool, such as training workers on the factory floor. Google released Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 in 2019, priced at $999 (currently about RMB 6,893).
