Google had its venture with smart glasses, and despite the company’s initial ambitions, it’s now an industrial tool. But now, its parent company Alphabet is looking to acquire another smart glass maker, the Canadian company called North.
The smart glasses made by North is known as the Focals. But much like the Google Glass, the Focals started of at a quite unaffordable price of US$999 (~RM4281). This price was slashed down to US$599 (~RM2567) last year which, while a massive reduction, wasn’t exactly affordable. Buying it also involved a fitting process.
In December last year, North stopped selling the first generation Focals to make a sequel. This was said to be lighter, with a sleeker design and a “10x display”. The tech behind it was said to have been miniaturised by 40%.
The Globe and Mail reports that the acquisition of North by Alphabet is in its final stages. The transactions is reported to be at a value of US$180 million (~RM711.3 million). Though it’s interesting that the acquisition is done using the Alphabet name rather than Google, as North would fit right in as an addition to the existing Google Glass, or its other AR projects.
(Source: The Globe and Mail via 9to5Google. Image: North)
