File photo. (REUTERS/David W Cerny)
A patent filed by Google could have given us a look at the company’s plans for the future of Google Glass. The picture shows an evolution of the familiar Glass design, with some key changes, which could perhaps help the smart eyewear gain more acceptance outside of keen early adopters inside the tech community.
The design in the image isn’t named or confirmed as Google Glass 2, but it may be one of the models the company is experimenting with. The wraparound frame is still there, this time with two curved arms to hold it behind the wearer’s ears. The Glass prism is mounted above the left eye, and is attached to a more compact side unit, which doesn’t extend back along the frame.
Related: We’re killing Google Glass by forgetting it’s all one big experiment
The lopsided look of the original Glass didn’t endear it to the fashion conscious, and certainly made it very obvious to the world you were wearing Glass. This version does away with all the clutter, suggesting Google has found a way to stuff all the tech inside a smaller, less cumbersome unit.
Google Glass started life as a highly desirable piece of wearable tech, but has slowly fallen from grace, to the point where developers are supposedly abandoning it, and potential buyers are put off by the negative press regarding privacy. If Google wants to reinvigorate interest in Glass, a new, sleeker design will be a good start.
The patent picture comes soon after it was reported Intel may team up with Google for Glass 2, and provide one of its own processors to power the device. If so, Intel may then push the wearable towards the business world. Google, on the other hand, apparently remains committed to promoting Glass as a consumer product. If these rumor reports are accurate, the next version of Glass may arrive in 2015.
The question is, would this new design persuade you to embrace Glass?
Get a daily look at what’s developing in science and technology throughout the world.