Google will stop selling Glass as it looks to cut costs

CNN New York --

Google announced that it will no longer be selling the latest Enterprise Edition Google Glass. This is a major blow to an otherwise innovative, but unsuccessful, wearable product line that many consumers might have thought was over.

Google Glass was first unveiled in 2013. It was originally designed for general audiences and promised that it would allow people to access a computer directly on their faces, rather than using a phone. After the beta version failed to gain popularity, the high price tag, cumbersome design and privacy concerns caused by the smartglasses' discontinuation in 2015.

Google then switched the focus away from consumers to enterprises. Glass's first Enterprise edition was announced in 2017. It was designed for industries like manufacturing and logistics. Google's final attempt to save the Glass product was with the Enterprise Edition 2. The $999 product was not popular.

Google said on its FAQ page that it was grateful for more than a decade's worth of partnership and innovation. Google will continue to support Enterprise Edition through September.

CNN reached out to Google for comment but Google didn't respond.

Google has decided to discontinue the product due to cost reductions across the company. Google, like many other companies, recently announced plans for thousands of layoffs in response to declining demand and recession fears.

Google Glass is still a dream. Snapchat's parent company also sells Spectacles smartglasses. This set has struggled to gain traction over the years. Apple is working on augmented reality glasses. Google stated last year that it would continue to test AR glasses even after Glass was discontinued.

In a blog post, the company stated that Augmented Reality (AR) was opening up new ways for people to interact with the world around them. It can be used to quickly and easily find the information we require, such as understanding another language or how to get from A to B.

The future of Glass is still being seen a decade after Google Glass was launched with an identical goal.