Google acquired smart glass developer North, and the release of ``Focal 2.0'' scheduled to appear in 2020 is canceled
On June 30, 2020, Google officially announced the acquisition of Canadian wearable device developer
Our focus on helpful devices: Google acquires North
https://blog.google/products/hardware/focus-helpful-devices-google-acquires-north/
Focals by North
Google buys AR glasses company North-The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/30/21308281/google-north-focals-glasses-purchase-acquire
Google acquires smart glasses company North, whose Focals 2.0 won't ship | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/30/google-acquires-smart-glasses-company-north-whose-focals-2-0-wont-ship/
Kitchener- based North of Canada was founded in 2012 under the company name of Thalmic Labs, and initially developed a smart band 'Myo' that uses gestures to operate various devices. Since changing the company name to North, we have been focusing on the development of smart glasses, and in 2019 we will launch the first smart glass in North, the Focal 1.0. Focal 1.0 was able to connect to the user's smartphone etc. via Bluetooth and use applications such as Uber.
Focal 1.0 had a structure in which an image was projected from the frame to the lens, but the appearance of the frame and lens did not differ much from ordinary glasses, and after the announcement, it attracted attention from the media. However, it seems that sales were not favorable due to the high price of $ 999 (about 107,000 yen), Focal 1.0 has been reduced to $ 599 (about 65,000 yen) within one month from its release. ..
About the acquisition, Rick Osterlow, senior vice president of Google's Devices and Services division, said, ``They are building a strong technical foundation and North has a wide range of us to develop useful devices and services. We are excited to participate in the initiative.' Although I have not touched on details such as the acquisition price, North seems to join the Google team of Kitchener, which is the same as the current location.
Google has made efforts to develop devices and services that support people's daily lives, such as smartphone maps that are useful when walking in the town and tablets that can check recipes when cooking in the kitchen. 'Ambient Computing,' says Osterlo, is the way technology blends into people's everyday lives and makes life easier. It will help us continue our investment.'
North was reportedly planning to release its next-generation smart glasses, Focal 2.0, by the end of 2020. The release of Focal 1.0 had ended in line with the announcement of Focal 2.0, but the release of Focal 2.0 has been discontinued due to the acquisition by Google.
Also, it has been decided that support for Focal 1.0 will end on July 31, 2020, and after July 31, it will not be possible to use Focal 1.0 or access to North's account. Beginning June 30, North plans to reimburse people for purchasing Focal 1.0.
Winding down Focals – Care by North
https://support.bynorth.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045128691
The smart glasses industry hasn't been as big as originally envisioned, and North has been in a difficult situation with the dismissal of 150 employees in 2019. North about this acquisition, 'partnership with Google is, we have found that to significantly advance the vision to share. The acquisition is suitable to take to the North, What is important is we Waterloo of It’s just Kitchener.”
Google is deploying its own smart glass, Google Glass , but at the time of article creation, it is being developed as an enterprise product for industries such as logistics, manufacturing, and field services. It is unclear at the time of this article whether Google will start developing consumer smart glasses again by acquiring North, which has developed consumer smart glasses.
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