Google Discontinues its Glass Enterprise Edition 2

The Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 is the latest product to be sent to the Google graveyard. 9to5Google spotted yesterday that the smart glasses are no longer available for purchase, and Google announced that software support will end on September 15, 2023.

In an FAQ, Google explained that customers who are still using their Glass Enterprise Edition will be able to continue to do so after the end of support date, though there won’t be any software updates to fix bugs. The company also explained that the pre-installed Meet on Glass app may “stop working at any time” after September 15, 2023

The Glass Enterprise Edition 2 were released back in 2019, and they were the last smart glasses Google released since the launch of the original Google Glass back in 2013. Despite some early buzz, privacy concerns (you may remember the “glasshole” term ) and social awkwardness quickly killed the consumer momentum for Google Glass. That’s why Google eventually pivoted to the enterprise market.

Speaking with The Verge, Google spokesperson Patrick Seybold said that the company is still “deeply committed to AR” and that it’s “been building AR into many Google products and we’ll continue to look at ways to bring new, innovative AR experiences across our product portfolio.”

If Google may have been a mixed reality pioneer with its smart glasses, the future that the company envisioned where smart glasses would make everyone more productive didn’t materialize. And this is something that Meta, Microsoft, and other companies invested in the “Metaverse” are also starting to realize. However, this isn’t going to discourage Apple, which is expected to announce its “Reality Pro” mixed reality headset at WWDC in June.