When Google shut down its Glass Explorer program on January 19, 2015, it promised that we would “see future versions of Glass when they’re ready.” While Google has yet to unveil any new Glass products, rumours have hinted at a second-generation Glass that would be focused on the enterprise space. It now appears that those rumours were indeed correct. A pawn shop in San Francisco appears to have gotten their hands on an unannounced version of Google Glass and is selling it on eBay.
Assuming this new Google Glass is legitimate, it does not appear to be significantly different from the Explorer version but there are some subtle changes. A hinge now allows it to be folded up and the micro-USB port has been replaced by a proprietary power and data port.
The photos and listing unfortunately do little to confirm other rumoured details. According to earlier reports, the new Google Glass Enterprise Edition will include a number of upgrades such as an LED indicator to indicate when the camera is recording and a larger prism display to show more information. Hardware upgrades will also include a more efficient Intel Atom processor, improved wireless connectivity including 5GHz Wi-Fi support for video streaming and improved battery life.
It’s not clear at this point what Google’s plans are for Google Glass. Now part of the Project Aura group, it’s likely that the company has continued to experiment with smart glasses but that does not necessarily mean that a new version will be released any time soon. A 9to5Google source indicates that some kind of Google Glass Enterprise Edition could happen in the next couple of months but it appears equally likely that Google is still pondering its next move and may not make any announcement any time soon.
As it stands, the bidding for this unannounced Google Glass Enterprise Edition prototype stands at US$5,250.00 (about CA$6,800). Any takers among our readers?
Sources : eBay // 9to5Google