One of the things we’ve learned from Google, over the years, is that it is a company whose pulse does not tremble when canceling any project that does not meet the objectives set by the company. We have seen it on many occasions, although probably the most remarkable case in its history is that of Google Glass, a groundbreaking and very interesting proposal, which I personally loved when I was able to try it, but which probably came too soon.
Just a week ago it was two years since the last software update for the Google Glass Explorer Edition was published, which seemed to mark the end of this interesting but failed project. Its high price and the lack of a consistent application proposal They ostracized a device that, however, when it was introduced at the beginning of the last decade, attracted enormous interest. And I have no doubt that Google has learned a lot from that experience.
The paradox in this case is that we have been able to see how, as the Glass project was fading, other companies have begun to show their interest in augmented reality headsets. The most obvious case is, of course, that of Meta, but we have also been waiting for a long time for Apple’s proposal in this regard. And most likely, throughout 2022 we will know of more projects in this regard, which suggests that we are talking about a market that may already be a little closer to taking off.
Another thing that we cannot deny Google is perseverance, something that we have been able to verify, for example, with its multiple attempts to enter the social networks sector. So far it has not gone well, but it is clear that they have tried. And now, as we can read in ArsTechnica, the company is already preparing for its return to the field of augmented reality. A project for which the company is already hiring staff. And the descriptions are very revealing:
Our team is building the software components that control and manage the hardware in our augmented reality (AR) products. These are the software components that run on AR devices and are the closest to the hardware. As Google adds products to the AR portfolio, the OS Foundations team is the first software team to work with new hardware.
Senior Software Developer, Integrated Augmented Reality Operating System
As part of the team, you will be responsible for the overall camera device software for an innovative AR device.
Senior Software Engineer, Camera, Augmented Reality OS
In this role, you will lead the design and develop an input framework for an integrated real-time platform that will form the foundation for next-generation AR experiences. You will be responsible for the overall input device software for an innovative AR device.
Senior Software Developer Tech Lead, Input, Augmented Reality
From the descriptions, it seems that Google is working not only on an operating system for augmented reality devices, but also on, by its own description, an innovative augmented reality device. And yes, the qualifier of innovative undoubtedly raises enough doubts, but it is somewhat strange to think that, in the face of the steps of companies that we can consider their direct competition in many ways, such as Apple and Facebook, the search engine company is not considering his return with a reinvention of Google Glass.
