Google Glass made smart glasses a household name among early wearables adopters and consumers at large. While it’s not clear how well (or poorly) it sold, it became the defacto standard to which all other smart glasses were compared. Google put an end to its Glass Explorer Program in January 2015 but promised that it was not done with smart glasses. While we wait to see what the next generation of Google Glass will look like, competitors have released their own enterprise-focused smart glass solutions. At least one research firm now believes that Google is no longer the market leader in this nascent product category.
Lux Research has identified more than 70 enterprise deployments using smart glasses. While most are still at the pilot stage, it evaluated many of these to determine which products were the best for different use cases.
The best all-around device was not Google Glass but Osterhout Design Group’s ODG R-7 “because it is the only one on the market that does not need a wired controller and meets industrial standards for hazardous environments.”
Sony SmartEyeglass was named “top performer for use in customer service and quality control” thanks to it competitive price, small and light form factor, ability to access information and support for real-time communications. It was also earned second place for warehousing, assembly and installation behind the Meta-1 which has yet to hit the market.
Google Glass was beaten out by Vuzix in the category of real-time communication applications such as online sales support.
“As next-generation glasses such as Epson’s Moverio BT-2000 and Meta Pro emerge, the field will become even more competitive, ending a period of high premiums for hardware. Software and service will become the primary way to maintain margins,” said Tony Sun, Lux Research Analyst and lead author of the report titled, “Better Than Google Glass: Finding the Right Smart Glasses for Enterprise.”
Recent rumours have hinted that the next generation of Google Glass will focus more on the enterprise space. It could also incorporate an in-ear wearable component. It’s not clear when Google might announce it but Google I/O 2016 is not far away.
Source : Lux Research