By Alistair Barr
Google Inc. is quietly distributing a new version of its Glass
wearable computer aimed at businesses in industries such as
healthcare, manufacturing and energy, according to people familiar
with the situation.
The new Glass is a curved rectangle, similar to the first
Explorer version, but does not include a wire-like frame. Instead,
it has a button-and-hinge system to attach the mini-computer to
different glasses, the people said.
Google is pitching the new version exclusively to businesses. A
new consumer version is at least a year away, the people familiar
with the matter said.
Google doesn't plan to officially launch the new version, the
people said, a far cry from the skydivers who brought the first
version to a Google conference in 2012. Instead, Google is
distributing the new model to software developers creating programs
to use the device in business settings. The goal is to have
businesses using the device by fall, the people said.
Google didn't respond to requests for comment.
The initial version of Glass, which sold for $1,500, prompted a
widespread privacy backlash because users could record video in
public places without others noticing. Google stopped selling it in
January and executives have admitted that the device was released
before it was ready for consumers.
As recently as late 2014, Google planned a revamped consumer
version, according to the people familiar with the matter. They
said Google had bought or leased real estate in several cities for
stores that would sell the device.
Around December, this plan was scrapped, the people added, and
the Glass team was moved out of the Google X research lab and into
the Nest connected-home division, led by former Apple Inc.
executive Tony Fadell.
The shift reflected a tension inside Google between engineers
familiar with software and those with a hardware background. Google
is famous for releasing early versions of software products and
tweaking them with improvements, based partly on feedback from
users. But Mr. Fadell, a hardware veteran, prefers to keep products
under wraps until they are ready for consumer use. He has said that
it takes longer to develop hardware than software. A spokeswoman
for Mr. Fadell referred questions to Google.
The people familiar with the matter said Google remains
committed to the technology and ultimately releasing a new consumer
version.
Google hopes to skirt privacy issues with the current model,
because it will be used mostly in private workplaces. Surgeons used
the initial version during procedures, either to get advice from
colleagues remotely or to instruct medical students. Field workers
tested it while fixing expensive machinery with help from
co-workers back at headquarters.
The new model has a faster Intel processor , improved battery
life of as long as two hours and improved wireless connectivity,
the people said. The cube-like glass prism used to project the
display into users' field of vision is longer and thinner in the
new version. This can be moved vertically as well as horizontally,
while the first version offered only horizontal adjustment, one of
those people said.
Version two also comes with a battery pack that Google developed
specifically to connect magnetically to the gadget, the people
added. With the first version, which suffered from short battery
life, users often hooked the device up to battery packs developed
by other companies using mini USB connectors.
Tech blog 9to5Google earlier reported some details of the new
Glass version.
Write to Alistair Barr at alistair.barr@wsj.com
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