Google Unveils New Smart Glasses a Decade After Google Glass Flop

More than a decade after its failed Google Glass experiment, Google plans to release new smart glasses this autumn.

The glasses will feature a small camera in the frames and small speakers in the arms, allowing Google’s artificial intelligence product, Gemini, to interact with users.

Google unveiled the glasses for the first time Tuesday at its annual developer conference, offering two styles designed by Warby Parker and Gentle Monster.

Google Glass launched in 2013 but was pulled in 2015, just seven months after its UK release, following backlash over price and privacy concerns.

“They are designed to give you all-day help with Gemini that’s spoken into your ear privately rather than shown on a display,” Shahram Izadi, a Google executive, said during the event.

The new smart glasses allow wearers to “stay hands free and heads up,” Izadi said.

The glasses will work with both Android and Apple’s iOS devices, Google said.

A version with an in-lens display capable of showing text and information is under development but not yet scheduled for release.

Izadi said during the event in Mountain View, California, that more details on the in-lens glasses will come later this year.

Developers are already working on applications for the display glasses, he added.

The core features of Google’s intelligent eyewear resemble those of Meta’s AI smart glasses, which have a small camera and speakers for verbal and audio communication with Meta AI.

Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have sold 7 million pairs, according to the company.

However, the same privacy concerns that plagued Google Glass a decade ago are re-emerging with Meta’s glasses.

People are being unwittingly filmed in public and private settings, often by individuals wearing Meta’s glasses, and only discovering the videos when they appear online.

Snap is expected to release a new version of its smart glasses this year, and Apple is reportedly working on a similar product.

Investor Christine Tsai of 500 Global, an early-stage venture capital firm, said Google’s re-entry into the glasses space is a positive development.

“It’s good for consumers. And it’s good for early stage start ups, where we tend to invest, because they’re a platform where people can build more capabilities,” Tsai said, adding that smart glasses are gaining traction as “that next modality” following the smartphone.

Developer Anil Shah, who is building an events management app called tixfix.ai, said smart glasses hold the promise of integrating many services Google already provides, such as Google Maps and Google Voice.

“It’s a great addition to their product line-up,” he said.

Shah said he would consider building integrations with Google smart glasses for his own startup so users can easily find nearby events.

“I think being able to just talk with the smart glasses without opening the app would be a very nice integration,” he said.

Tsai attended Tuesday’s conference and noted that smart glasses are becoming a key platform as the next modality in tech.