NEWS: Google Glass Graduation or Death

In an email from Google, Glass Explorers received the following obituary, “It’s been an exciting ride. We learned A LOT and now we’re hard at work building the future of Glass. You gave Glass a chance-even if it wasn’t right for you right now, you were still part of the story.” So is this Glass’s death or is this actually an indication of Glass’s graduation as suggested by 3rd party vendors that provide Google Glass as part of their compliant solution for healthcare providers seeking to utilize Glass?

One such company, Prestine, posted the following announcement regarding the fate of Glass, “The project is ‘graduating’ from Google[x], the company’s research division, to a full-blown Google division. The consumer-centric Explorer program is ending; the general public will not be able to purchase Glass anymore (though Glass at Work certified partners like Pristine and Augmedix still have unrestricted access to all the Glass we need).  So what does all of this mean? The short version is that this is a great sign for the future of Glass.”

A similar thread was celebrated by Augmedix while pointing to history as an indicator of slow consumer adoption,  “Looking back at the history of technological innovation, there has always been a strong pattern of breakthrough technologies first being adopted in enterprise and then finding traction with consumers.” Given Google’s continued support of the “Glass at Work,” program designed to inspire innovative uses of Glass in the workplace, Augmedix may be on the mark. Hardly mourning the death of Glass the company boasts their bright future, “Augmedix continues to grow at an accelerating pace, with Google strongly supporting our ramp-up for 2015 and beyond. Looking to the future, we are excited about the next-generation offerings from Google and others as the entire smartglass category heats up. For Augmedix, this is just the beginning!”

Judging from both Prestine and Augmedix’s forward looking statements, their deep alignment with Google, impressive client lists, recent capital raises, and overall momentum, I hardly think Glass is dead. As a Google Glass Explorer, I am confident we have arrived at the dawn of a new day of Glass and similar wearable technology that empowers such hands-free computing power.

Snapshot: Google Glass In Healthcare:

Huffington Post Predicts How Google Glass Will Transform Healthcare

Experience the Future of Wearable Technology – Google Glass at Philips Healthcare

Information Week – Google Glass in Healthcare

FierceHealthIT: 5 Ways Google Glass will Innovate Healthcare 

Here at HealthITInnovation.com, the fate of our first-of-it’s-kind Google Glass captured talk show, Point of View: Exploring Health IT Innovation Through Google Glass may be hanging in the balance.  With two upcoming interviews currently in production and future interviews on the docket, I can’t imagine we’ll be shutting down anytime soon. The current operating system of Glass will continue to work without reliance on software updates so it is our plan to continue to use the innovative device to capture future “Point of View” interviews. While Google’s formal “Explorer” program may have ended, our exploration of Glass and other innovative solutions to transform healthcare has only just begun.

Whatever is next for Google Glass, the future is bright for the wearable tech industry. Moreover, innovations in wearable tech solutions for health and wellness have only just begun.  I am honored to have been a part of the Google Glass Explorer program and look forward to Google’s future innovations in wearable tech. Thank you Google for allowing me to be an “Explorer!” RIP Explorer program and congratulations on your graduation Google Glass!

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