Google is no longer working to build an augmented reality hardware platform. They will be shifting their energy towards creating AR software instead. It is hard to believe this wasn’t at least partially prompted by the Vision Pro.
Hugh Langley, Business Insider:
Google killed off a project to build a pair of augmented-reality glasses it had been working on for several years.
[…]
The glasses, known internally by the codename Iris, were shelved earlier this year following layoffs, reshuffles, and the departure of Clay Bavor, Google’s chief of augmented and virtual reality, according to three people familiar with the matter.
[…]
Since shelving the Iris glasses, Google has focused on creating software platforms for AR that it hopes to license to other manufacturers building headsets… One employee described Google’s new ambition as being the “Android for AR“
Of course they should build “Android for AR” and sell it to whoever is interested but they shouldn’t let that get in the way of developing great first party applications for all headset platforms.
The advantage of giving up on the hardware market is that they don’t have to weigh direct competition as heavily in their decision making.
Meta, especially, must be thrilled.