A redesigned and much improved Google Glass may be coming out sooner than most observers think.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Luxottica, Google's new partner for the project, is working on a new product for the Web-connected eyewear. Massimo VIan, the chief executive of Luxottica, said at the company's general meeting in Milan, Italy that the device will be coming out soon. However, he did not specify a time frame.
Speaking to shareholders, Vian said, "In Google, there are some second thoughts on how to interpret version 3 [of the eyewear]."
He then added, "What you saw was version 1. We're now working on version 2, which is in preparation."
Luxottica is the company behind successful eyewear brands Ray-Ban and Oakley, and was tapped by the biggest Internet research company to come up with frames for their next batch of Google Glass.
Concentrating on the new version, Google will make the Glass more user-friendly and familiar by pairing it with more comfortable eyewear. Aside from that, the upcoming Glass will also come much cheaper than the original, have longer battery life, and much improved display and audio.
The company seems to be focusing on making the eyewear again from scratch, as Google recently stopped selling the original Glass version, and even stopped its Explorer program midway. The Glass project was then placed from Google X's research labs into the hands of Tony Fadell, head of Google's Nest program.
Google launched the Glass in the middle of last year, but low sales might have prompted the company to overhaul the program. There were also numerous issues connected with the device, chief among them are security and privacy concerns, as people observed that the Google Glass allowed wearers to capture images and record videos inconspicuously.
