Google's Still Trying To Make Glass Happen

Google Glass was by all means an amazing product, at least in terms of its technological capabilities. Nonetheless, it never reached a mass market audience. A number of poor decisions by the company as well as a little bit of bad luck, worked together to produce a wearable device which no one really wanted (or needed) to wear. This being said, Google has not give up on the device just yet…

Reports coming out of the Wall Street Journal suggest that the company is planning to completely overhaul its device in 2015 with the release of a whole new product internation. This next version of Google Glass which presumably keep much of the form factor of its predecessor, however, with have a number of changed below the hood.

The most important of these is a chipset upgrade. Rather than running its current Texas Instruments chip, the new version of Glass will reportedly feature an Intel-produced chip. This new chipset will most likely be the same low power chip Intel designed for its demonstrator MICA bracelet. In addition to this, the glasses have been redesigned to allow for users to wear them with prescription lenses - a major flaw in the previous design.

The new Google Glass will be targeted for work-uses

A larger change to the device however, will more likely come in the way it is market. Rather than as a fashionable accessory, or an extreme sports device, as was pushed in its failed Explorer campaign, the new device will be targeted for work-uses. Google reportedly plans to focus on several industries such as healthcare and manufacturing where it believes that the device has a solid use case.

To help sell the product to these users, Google is branching out to develop new applications and functions for the Glass. Through its ‘Glass at Work’ program the company is working with at least two developers to find innovative solutions for people who are working with their hands, but yet still need access to information. Should Google manage to find enough uses for the device and sell it at the right price, the wearable may yet avoid being a complete failure.