Google Glass Is Resurrected in the Workplace

When Google Glass hit the market a few years ago, it was supposed to be the Next Big Thing, a sleek and futuristic hands-free device that allowed you to experience (and capture) the world anew through a computer lens. Now it’s something of a punchline in the tech world, or, for those Android app developers who aren’t feeling like laughing, a missed opportunity. Now that the world is on the verge of adopting augmented reality on a mass scale, the concept of Google Glass seems just a little ahead of its time. But let’s not talk about the Google Glass as if its dead, for it is having a comeback in factories across America.

Two and half years after it appeared to give up the ghost, Google Glass is back in a new Enterprise Edition. The project was borne out of the realization that companies were purchasing Explorer Edition units of Glass and using them with custom software in their factories and warehouses. X, Google’s “moonshot” division, is now catering to these corporate customers, including big clients like GE and Boeing, with a new Glass that can be attached to safety goggles and worn on the factory floor. The Enterprise Edition of Glass is lighter, with a faster processor, vastly improved wifi connection, and longer battery life. It even includes a green light to indicate when the device is recording video, which should come as a relief to Android app developers who always thought Glass was a little sketchy.

The Glass Enterprise Edition is the perfect solution for businesses who want their employees to have hands-free access to additional information without having them immersed in an out-and-out AR experience. Sales figures are low so far (the project was just officially announced this week), but the potential is huge. It’s not just factory workers that can handle their workload with more accuracy and efficiency with a little help from “assisted reality” — doctors, office workers, and many more professionals could improve their performance with this valuable tool. Denver Android app developers will have to see if the Enterprise Edition is truly integral to the future of work — or if it will flop just like the consumer version did.