Google pulls the plug on Project Iris smart glasses to focus more on AR software

The device was plagued by setbacks, including changes to development, layoffs and company restructuring

Google Glass, which was unveiled in 2013, was the company's first attempt to bring the niche product into the mainstream. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Google has pulled the plug on its Project Iris augmented reality glasses, after efforts to develop the device apparently went awry, according to a media report.

Work on the device, which was supposed to rival similar offerings from Facebook parent Meta and Apple, was set aside earlier this year after facing a number of setbacks in its development, Business Insider reported, citing people familiar with the situation.

The device – which reportedly resembles ski goggles – went through several iterations and leadership repeatedly changed their plans on its development, which frustrated employees, they said.

Layoffs and restructurings at the California-based company, plus the February departure of Google's head of virtual reality, Clay Bavor, also contributed to the device's fate, they said.

Alphabet-owned Google will instead be focusing on developing software for AR glasses, which it intends to license to other companies – in a similar arrangement to what it does with its Android mobile operating system, they said.

Google officials could not be reached by The National owing to a holiday.

Companies are investing heavily on developing smart AR glasses as more uses emerge for the technology.

On a consumer level, the AR headset and glasses market is expected to surpass $9 billion by 2027, growing at a compound annual rate of nearly a third from an estimated $2.4 billion in 2023, data from Statista shows.

The existence of Project Iris – which Google was reportedly working on for years – was first reported by The Verge in January last year.

The company's decision to stop the project would likely mean it would lag behind its rivals in the segment.

At its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, Apple unveiled the Vision Pro headset, priced from $3,499. It was the company's first major product launch since the Apple Watch in 2015.

In September, Lenovo, the world's biggest maker of personal computers, unveiled its Glasses T1, which projects the screens of smartphones, laptop and computers in front of a user's eyes.

Meanwhile, Facebook owner Meta introduced its Stories smart glasses in collaboration with eyewear maker Ray-Ban in September 2021. They start from $299 and have more options that can be customised to appeal to a wider set of users.

In May last year, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg followed up on this when he teased a new smart glass project and other wearable devices with Franco-Italian company EssilorLuxottica, the owner of the Ray-Ban brand.

A prototype version of Meta's glasses is expected to be handed out to developers for testing early in 2024, according to The Information.

Samsung, the world's biggest manufacturer of mobile devices, in March filed patents for “Galaxy Glasses”, which has been taken as a signal that it is ready to throw its hat into the ring.

This would also not be the first setback for Google in smart glasses.

In 2013, the company made the first major attempt to bring the device into the mainstream with the launch of Google Glass, but it struggled with a number of problems, including utility, design and a hefty $1,500 price tag.