Google has put a halt to a project building a pair of augmented reality glasses, according to a report from Business Insider. It will instead shift its focus from AR hardware to AR software.
Google first raised the idea of augmented reality glasses, called Iris, in
early 2022, with a mooted launch date of 2024.
The Iris AR glasses
were supposed to look like a pair of ordinary glasses. Google also demoed
a newer version in a video showing a real-time AR translation feature (see
pic above).
While the company has stopped working on its own AR
hardware, Business Insider says it still has big AR ambitions. Instead of building
its own hardware, Google has apparently chosen to focus on creating an "Android
for AR" instead. The company is reportedly hoping to adopt the same business
model it's using for its mobile platform and license its AR software to manufacturers.