Google may be up to multiple AR projects, but will any of them be better than Google Glass?

I’m incredibly saddened that I never got to try Google Glass. And now that Google canned the project, it’s likely that I never will. Which has me even more bummed out, because none of the best AR/VR headsets come close to it.

While Glass? To me, that was a firm step in the right direction. A heads up display that can enhance my vision and provide some extra information, as to help me optimize my workflow even further. And even if the Vision Pro is set to be even more capable, the comfortable form factor of Glass had me won over.

But there is a glimmer of hope: the idea isn’t dead. Project Iris was the sequel to Glass, but Google also canned that in June in favor of developing an AR-focused headset alongside Samsung.

So it would be a shame if something were to… Not exactly go according to plan. Which is exactly what this report entails.



So, all of this comes from anonymous insider sources, so take all of this info with a grain of salt.

TL;DR: Samsung wants to dive in headfirst into the competition with Apple and create a headset asap. Google doesn't like that, because its engineers feel like the rushing won’t help them make a product that has its own identity.

And if Google is saying that Samsung is trying to “call the shots on product features”, then this stops sounding like a collaboration.

So, Glimmer Level 2: Google may be making something else, on the side and it’s nicknamed “Betty”. The informer states that it may be a monocle — which, mind you, is also perfect for a headsup AR display, much like Glass was — but we don’t have that much information about it yet.