Google Glass 2.0 is here, and this time, AI makes it worth wearing

Hindustan Times

4 days ago

It is 2012, and Google has come up with this weird yet interesting spectacle-like wearable product that looks kind of like a safety glass for factories. Many were confused about why I was so excited about it then. I clicked many pictures with it and proclaimed to anyone who would listen that this is the future of the wearables industry, and that Google is underrated for the visionary work they do. To top it the reveal was nothing short of spectacular. Google unveiled its Google Glass 1.0 with a couple of skydivers live streaming themselves while parachuting on the San Francisco skyline. But then, this turned out to be a classic case of the product being ready, but the market not as much. No one would have realized it was a case of premature execution then. Google quietly pivoted to making this available enterprise only. The enterprise edition in 2017 found only a few takers in the medical and the industrial field. And Google finally stopped selling and supporting the enterprise edition too in 2023. One of the most important differences from the Meta glasses though is the in-lens display which Google says aims not to escape reality but to enhance it.(Google)
In the meanwhile, in 2021, another quiet development was taking place. Meta had developed a wearable whose form factor looked eerily similar to Google Glass, in partnership with Essilor Luxottica. Meta then upgraded the product in 2023 and then again in 2024. Cut to today, it has become so common to see people wearing chunky Ray-Ban Meta glasses clicking away in Silicon Valley. This must have made Google feel vindicated about its product and choice of form factor back in 2012. Google has made some significant announcements regarding Android XR glasses in its Google I/O in May 2025.
To be sure, Google isn't doing this alone this time around. They are partnering with Samsung, Qualcomm and Xreal. There seem to be a number of glass-like products that are in several stages of development including one with Samsung – Project Moohan and one in-house Google glass. The one with Xreal is more developer-focussed. But one thing is for sure that all of it will be using Google's Operating system for headsets and glasses – Android XR.
The most exciting thing about the Google glass 2.0 is the Gemini AI integration, obviously. You can now hold live bilingual conversations, ask Gemini questions about everything you see and of course you can ask for directions. There are also two ways how your directions are displayed – either projected in front of you or on the embedded in lens display depending on where you are looking. Hands-free photos, video and note capturing are a given as it is with the Meta glasses.
One of the most important differences from the Meta glasses though is the in-lens display which Google says aims not to escape reality but to enhance it. You can for instance see the directions overlayed on where you are walking and from the videos Google has shared it looks quite vivid and useful rather than intrusive. Another difference from the Meta glasses is seeing the result of the picture that you just took on the lens. This in itself feels like one step ahead of the Meta glasses. Although this is currently a prototype, the Google glasses seem to be lighter than the Meta glasses according to feedback from those who tried it at Google I/O.
The product isn't out for sale yet and the price point is still unclear too. But Google has done well this time by partnering with luxury eyewear firms like Gentle Monster and the direct to consumer vendor Warby Parker. It can be argued that the Meta Ray bans wouldn't really have been as successful as they are now had they not been Ray bans.
Although in 2012, Google wanted to market the product as an early adopter item, there were concerns regarding its functionality, high price, safety and privacy that ultimately led to the untimely demise of the product. Today, society and technology have evolved and the bar for many of those parameters look very different. So, with some modifications from Google it does look like the world may be ready for its Glass (and Android XR based glasses and headsets) and lap it up given the right price point. I still have the old Google Glass. I am definitely getting the 2.0 version as well.
Authored by: Varun Krishnan