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Google appears to have a new version of its Google Glass Enterprise AR wearable and is close to releasing it, based on a new certification for a Google-made gadget, dubbed ‘Glass Enterprise Edition 2’, that was spotted passing through the FCC. There isn’t a lot of information about the new device in the documentation for the new device’s specifications, likely due to confidentiality agreements. However, there are at least a few details that Android Headlines was able to glean by Android Headlines with some thorough digging, such as the inclusion of a 3.08Wh 800mAh-rated battery. Beyond that, Google has incorporated support for dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, although only 802.11 a/b/n/ac appear to have been tested as of this writing. Dual-mode Bluetooth 5.0 is a part of the new build as well.
Background: The new Glass is, of course, almost certainly based on the original Enterprise Edition wearable that was launched in 2017 after what was an abysmal several year-period for the company’s initial test concept – sold in limited quantities as the Google Glass Explorer Edition. That very first product did not do well, ultimately both failing to capture the interest of a wider public and causing an uproar in some cases due to its built-in camera and suspicion that a given wearer might be spying on or recording people. The starting price tag was also set at around $1,500 and remained that high all the way up through early 2017 when the company finally released its first Enterprise-specific version of the device. In that sector, it serves as a hands-free worker’s assistant and, according to the company, is bringing substantial gains to productivity. Specifically, the company reported last year that early-adopter DHL saw supply chain efficiency increases of around 15-percent, while AGCO saw machinery production time cut by 25-percent and inspection times cut by 30-percent using the technology.
Meanwhile, the connected AR wearable’s software received a new functionality bump from third-party solutions provider Plataine as recently as last July. That wasn’t necessarily released to all Google Glass Enterprise Edition sets, since it was a third-party solution, but went a long way to indicate that third-parties haven’t given up on the platform at all. In particular, Plataine’s latest offering added a layer of A.I. to improve real-time productivity tracking, both delivery and receiving of important alerts, and recommendations offered in completely hands-free use cases.
Impact: Because this new iteration of Google Glass is explicitly described in the FCC documentation as an “Enterprise Edition” wearable, there’s almost no chance that it’s going to be readily available to general consumers. However, the appearance of the new listing does show that the Mountain View-based tech giant is still taking its industry-grade AR seriously. With that said, there don’t appear to be any major changes to design here either, although the label placement imagery isn’t always representative of a final product. However, it wouldn’t be too surprising for that to be the case either since, at least at the enterprise level, the functionality of a solution generally tends to take precedence over form. For now, there’s no indication as to when the next-generation Google Glass Enterprise Edition wearable will hit the market.
