Google’s Iris augmented reality glasses will not finally be launched on the market. This is indicated by information advanced by Business Insider, in which it is ensured that the technology giant would have abandoned its augmented reality glasses project, citing three people “familiar with the project” to whom they have had access.
This decision comes shortly after Meta and Apple have put all the meat on the grill with their respective virtual reality headsets: the Meta Quest and the Vision Pro respectively. Google, on the other hand, has decided that the Iris augmented reality glasses project was not viable and that it is better to focus on software development and abandon the expensive hardware business.
The idea that has permeated the Mountain View company is the convenience of offering its micro XR software dedicated to this technology instead of developing a product. Google thinks it could license its technology to other VR headset makers, just as it provides the Android operating system to a broad ecosystem of phones from different brands.
Business Insider explains that Google’s Iris project was plagued by layoffs and strategy changes during its development. Google’s head of VR/AR, Clay Bavor, left the company four months ago; Kurt Akeley, a distinguished engineer who was linked to the project, now appears as “retired”, making clear the bleeding that the development of this product has entailed.
Gone is the spectacular Google announcement last year of the fantastic translation glasses and their versions with transcription and navigation functions. This means that even though Google said it would test them publicly starting last July, they are no longer under development.
However, Business Insider suggests that Google could keep developing a ski goggle-style helmet, even if it’s not its own project. The company is collaborating with Samsung and Qualcomm for this mixed reality platform, although no news has been announced for quite some time.
