Google Offering Enterprise Edition of Glass? - Analyst Blog
Per reports, Google GOOGL is secretly distributing the new enterprise model of the Glass headset to businesses manufacturing, energy and health care fields.
Earlier this year, the company decided to discontinue the sale of the first version of Glass and closed the Explorer program. This created speculations that it would discard the wearable device.
But Google dismissed the rumors and assured that it was still enthusiastic about its groundbreaking Google Glass technology. It promised to come up with a viable version of the device.
In July, reports on the Glass project said that the search giant was working on the next edition of its augmented reality glasses aimed at the business market, dubbed Google Glass Enterprise Edition.
Google is yet to reveal details pertaining to the official launch of the updated device. But it hopes to roll out for businesses by fall. The enterprise version is expected to cost "well below" Explorer's price point.
The New Edition
The new edition is a curved rectangle, similar to the first Explorer version. It has a button-and-hinge system that helps clip-on to different glasses, unlike the previous version which had a wire-like frame.
It consists of a faster Intel INTC Atom processor, as well as an optional external battery pack. Therefore, the device is touted to deliver faster performance, improved wireless connectivity and up to two hours of longer battery life. It in fact comes with a battery pack that Google developed particularly to attach magnetically to the gadget.
Also it has larger prism display, longer and thinner than the previous version that enables users to comfortably view what is being recorded by the device and avoid eye strain issues.
Fate of the New Version
In the enterprise market, smart wearables are gradually gaining popularity. Wearables are finding applications in many industries like mapping and augmented and virtual reality.
The first version of Google Glass, which was released in mid-2014 and priced at $1,500 for users who applied to test the Internet-connected device, was nothing short of a disaster. Not only did it give Google a bad reputation among consumers, it also disappointed a lot of partners and app developers who lost huge amounts of money on the project.
But it did see some traction with businesses, health care providers and various other organizations.
The move does seem to make sense given the price tag and issues with consumer adoption the last time.
The major challenge Google could face is integration. In order to achieve wider enterprise adoption, Google would have to integrate a wide range of enterprise applications with the device. For instance, it needs to be compatible with software from enterprise sellers like Oracle Corp. ORCL, SAP SE SAP and many others.
Moreover, it should also be compact and enable hands-free interaction with Glass for functions like checking emails and calendar.
Domain-related data, for instance health care, finance, oil and gas data for field usage could also come in handy.
Last but not least, the not so favorable reception of the earlier version could weigh on the company’s enterprise campaign and cause apprehension among customers.
So we will need to wait till the device is actually out in the market to see whether Google has kept its promise and whether at all it is any better than its predecessor.
Google currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
GOOGLE INC-CL A (GOOGL): Free Stock Analysis Report
INTEL CORP (INTC): Free Stock Analysis Report
SAP AG ADR (SAP): Free Stock Analysis Report
ORACLE CORP (ORCL): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
