Google Kills Its 'Project Iris' Augmented Reality Glasses (theverge.com) 34
Google is pulling the plug on its "Project Iris" augmented-reality glasses, according to Insider. The Verge reports: According to the publication, Google is now focused on software instead of hardware. It's building a "micro XR" platform it could license to other headset manufacturers, much like how Google provides Android to a broad ecosystem of phones. However, Insider suggests the ski goggle-like headset we originally mentioned may actually still be in the cards -- as Google is no longer creating them all by itself. In February, Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm made an incredibly vague announcement about how the three companies were partnering together on a new mixed reality platform, and while we've heard nothing meaningful about it since, Insider's sources say that Google's goggles "were actually the foundations" of the upcoming Samsung headset.
Insider reports that that Project Iris was plagued by layoffs and shifting strategies during development, and Google's head of VR/AR Clay Bavor notably left the company four months ago. Kurt Akeley, a distinguished engineer who we reported was attached to the project, is now listed as "retired" on his LinkedIn page. Two others are still listed as being involved with AR, including Mark Lucovsky, the company's senior director of operating systems for AR.
Insider reports that that Project Iris was plagued by layoffs and shifting strategies during development, and Google's head of VR/AR Clay Bavor notably left the company four months ago. Kurt Akeley, a distinguished engineer who we reported was attached to the project, is now listed as "retired" on his LinkedIn page. Two others are still listed as being involved with AR, including Mark Lucovsky, the company's senior director of operating systems for AR.
Cue oft played Psycho music.. (Score:3, Interesting)
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Sort of interesting when you look at how many projects get killed per year.
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At least they killed it before shipping this time. Not so much with a whole lot of other projects of theirs, leaving adopters in the lurch each and every time.
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gmail on the kill list will be fun to watch.
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Mostly because it's a technology they understand and use. With everything else it's a shrug and "who needed that, anyway?"
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Apple Vision Pro Scores Its First Takedown (Score:4, Funny)
Yes, Google Projects are sometimes short-lived; but the timing between the announcement of Vision Pro and the Cancellation of Project Iris seems a little too on-the-nose. . .
Re:Apple Vision Pro Scores Its First Takedown (Score:4, Informative)
Or, you know, because the project leader left the company four months ago.
Besides, the two products are absolutely nothing alike. AR hardware needs to be something that a normal person can wear in public, not a clunky monstrosity like Apple's ridiculously over-priced offering. Google had the right idea.
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From the synopsis, it seemed the Google offering was to be of the ski goggle variety too.....it was that description that made me think of the Apple vision thing too....as a competitor.
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I was thinking of this thing [theverge.com] from Google I/O last year, which is what I assumed this article was about. It's hard to tell with Google. For all I know it's a completely different product that just happens to be identical. They like to do that.
The article suggests that a "ski google" thing might still be in the works, though I have no idea why they'd favor that style over slightly chunky eyeglasses.
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I was thinking of this thing [theverge.com] from Google I/O last year, which is what I assumed this article was about. It's hard to tell with Google. For all I know it's a completely different product that just happens to be identical. They like to do that.
The article suggests that a "ski google" thing might still be in the works, though I have no idea why they'd favor that style over slightly chunky eyeglasses.
That's nowhere near the same concept. It's about .05% of the complexity of the Vision Pro
In fact; something as lame as that Google VAPORWARE bullshit should cost about $100 on Amazon.
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That's nowhere near the same concept.
That's my point. Eyeglasses are not the same as ski masks.
It's about .05% of the complexity of the Vision Pro
LOL! You really believe that, don't you?
Also, who care about the products complexity? The concept itself is stupid.
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That's nowhere near the same concept.
That's my point. Eyeglasses are not the same as ski masks.
Yeah. One is Vaporware, a Dream; the other is a Production Prototype, soon to be in User's hands as a Shipping Product.
Someday, maybe, we will have something as minimalist as the Google Fakery that will have 10 x the capability of Vision Pro; but for a bunch of reasons of which you obviously have no grasp whatsoever, that day for a practical Consumer product is likely still at least a quarter of a century away.
It's about .05% of the complexity of the Vision Pro
LOL! You really believe that, don't you?
As an Embedded Designer, I know that!
Also, who care about the products complexity? The concept itself is stupid.
You are right! Google has a useless, no-res toy. At this poin
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I feel like I'm talking to a 12 year old... There's something very wrong with you.
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I feel like I'm talking to a 12 year old... There's something very wrong with you.
Really?
Then why are more people siding with me?
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I can't explain the behavior of weird Apple fan boys. Grow up.
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Let's check that "nothing alike":
* Both are computer displays strapped to your head
* Both have no compelling reason to exist
* Both are currently vapor
It may be about as accurate as comparing a motorcycle to a car - but for Jill Consumer, those are both vehicles. And in this case the vehicles don't go anywhere. That's pretty much *identical*.
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You can't tell the difference between eyeglasses and ski masks?
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You can't tell the difference between eyeglasses and ski masks?
And you can't tell the difference between the Apple Knowledge Navigator Video and a Limited-number of actual, Pre-Production samples, of a real, physical, soon-to-be-available Product, working its way through the final phases of pre-Production Check-offs before Release?
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You have serious problems. Seek help.
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You have serious problems. Seek help.
Projection much?
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Let's check that "nothing alike":
* Both are computer displays strapped to your head
* Both have no compelling reason to exist
* Both are currently vapor
It may be about as accurate as comparing a motorcycle to a car - but for Jill Consumer, those are both vehicles. And in this case the vehicles don't go anywhere. That's pretty much *identical*.
Apple's Production Prototype is hardly "vapor".
Google's Fakery is Classic Vapor!
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If it ain't shipped - final - it's vapor.
Sometimes even if it has shipped - if "it just needs a software update to get it really working" - it's still vapor.
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If it ain't shipped - final - it's vapor.
Sometimes even if it has shipped - if "it just needs a software update to get it really working" - it's still vapor.
So, basically, it's "Vapor" until you can't move the goalposts any further.
Got it!
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Like I said: vapor.
https://apple.slashdot.org/sto... [slashdot.org]
No outside API users were hurt in this event (Score:2)
At least they killed the project before rolling it out to the public.
OpenXR says hello (Score:3)
It's building a "micro XR" platform it could license to other headset manufacturers
OpenXR [khronos.org] already provides an independent VR/AR API framework to developers. Google should already know this given they are a featured partner of OpenXR on the linked page.
About the only thing that Google could improve upon here is providing a basic driver set for the various HMDs / Controllers. As even if your project supports OpenXR, there's still the problem of getting the hardware to communicate with OpenXR. (OpenXR is more middleware that the driver implements, than native commands that the hardware understands. Much like OpenGL / Vulkan.) Which means unless the hardware manufacturer provides a driver for your platform / OS, you're stuck with what they support. I don't believe Google wants to take on this responsibility however, so I'd advise their shareholders to kill this "micro XR" platform before Google wastes anymore of their money on it.
Dodged one bullet (Score:2)
One less chance to become a glasshole again.
But plenty of others still in the making.
Google is in big trouble. (Score:2)
That's a shame... (Score:4, Insightful)
AR to me means something you would use in reality to get augmented information.
I liked google's approach of having a pair of simple glasses that would have the additional text on them such as translations or directions. Heck I also wanted to see faces identified showing names, maybe some details like where we last met, ...
But meta's and apple's AR goggles are these huge things on your head that would never look natural walking down the street and trying to talk to someone...
Google shouldn't have given up on what would have been a great idea and much more practical than the goggles of others.