Google AR glasses prototype |
A decade after the debut of Google Glass, a nubby,
sci-fi-looking pair of specs that filmed what wearers saw but raised concerns
about privacy and received low marks for design, the Alphabet unit on Wednesday
previewed a yet-unnamed pair of standard-looking glasses that display
translations of conversations in real time and showed no hint of a camera.
The new augmented-reality pair of glasses was just one of
several longer-term products Google unveiled at its annual Google I/O developer
conference aimed at bridging the real world and the company's digital universe
of search, Maps and other services using the latest advances in artificial intelligence.
"What we're working on is technology that enables us to
break down language barriers, taking years of research in Google Translate and
bringing that to glasses," said Eddie Chung, a director of product
management at Google, calling the capability "subtitles for the
world."
Selling more hardware could help Google increase profit by
keeping users in its network of technology, where it does not have to split ad
sales with device makers such as Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics CO that help
distribute its services.
Google also teased a tablet to be launched in 2023 and a
smartwatch that will go on sale late this year, as it unveils a strategy to
offer a group of products comparable to Apple.
But Google's hardware business remains small, with its
global market share in smartphones, for instance, under 1 percent, according to
researcher IDC. Recently launched challengers in search along with ongoing
antitrust investigations across the world into Google's dominance in mobile
software and other areas threaten to limit the company's ability to gain steam
in new ventures.
Alphabet shares fell 0.7 percent on Wednesday.
The reveal of the new glasses reflect the company's growing
caution amid greater scrutiny on Big Tech. When Google Glass was demonstrated
at I/O in 2012, skydivers used it to live stream a jump onto a San Francisco
building, with the company getting special air clearance for the stunt.
This time around, Google showed only a video of its
prototype, which displayed translations for conversations involving English,
Mandarin, Spanish and American Sign Language.
It did not specify a release date or immediately confirm
that the device lacked a camera.
Separate to the gadget, Google earlier demonstrated a
feature that eventually would let users take video of store shelves with wine
bottles and ask the search app to perform functions like automatically identify
options from Black-owned wineries.
Similarly, users later this year will be able to snap a
photo of a product and locate nearby stores where it is available.
Also later this year, Maps will launch an immersive view for
some big cities that fuses Street View and aerial images "to create a
rich, digital model of the world," Google said.
NEW HARDWARE
The tablet reverses Google's decision three years ago to
abandon making its own after poor sales. It shipped just 500,000 of those
units, according to IDC.
The new tablet follows increased user interest and was
announced early to inform buyers considering alternatives, Rick Osterloh,
Google senior vice president for devices and services, told reporters.
He added that the Pixel Watch, which will not be compatible
with Apple's iPhones, will attract different users than devices from Google's
Fitbit, which is associated with health and fitness and was acquired last year
for $2.1 billion.
Among other announcements, a relaunched Google Wallet app
will virtually store drivers licenses in some areas of the US later this year,
mirroring a feature Apple debuted for Arizona on its iPhones in March. ©
Reuters
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