The “metaverse” remains the next trend majority of the big tech companies around the globe are strategizing on chasing in the New Year 2022. While some others are still out considering whether or not it’ll successfully change the world or will be a profitable venture, the metaverse keeps getting attention from diverse places one do not expect. While Facebook has rebranded as Meta in order to sell its vision of the future, Microsoft has announced future plans for 3D metaverse apps for Xbox and gaming, Google is also not left out. Although before now Google has notoriously kept its work on augmented reality hardware secret but lately that seems to have changed. The company is attempting and focused on making its mark on the metaverse — all while throwing it back to a classic 2010s product.
According to news reports, Google plans to make its mark on virtual spaces with its last year’s acquisition of North. That’s, unfortunately, the extent of details the news reports suggested, as the company declined to make comments on the new project it is nurturing. In the summer of 2020, the company bought the smart glasses maker after the project failed to provide a successor to its initial gadget while in partnership with Intel. For now, it remains a little unclear what Google intended to do with North after its acquisition, whether to release a stopgap headset or remain focused on the smart glasses.
Although North had other ongoing projects before the acquisition, its most notable gadget was its Smart Glasses, which allowed pairing prescription lenses with a projected display. Also with a built-in mic and ring controls which users wore around their fingers. The Smart Glasses functioned like a heads-up display, users have the ability to receive incoming notifications or even get step-by-step navigation on a walk.
For nearly a decade now, Google has had the first launch of its Glasses for developers, although its commercial release never panned out at any point. The Glasses for developers seemed like a vision for the future, that type of project to return to once the technology behind it is improved. For the search giant, this metaverse trend might just be the perfect time to try again thanks to advancement in technology — and its acquisition of North might just make it all possible.
This update on Google future plans comes just a few weeks after the company made a high-profile hire to lead the development of an AR operating system. All signs point to one fact which is that there is great potential for major advancements in this space for augumented reality hardware come 2022.