Google announced a new chapter in the life of Glass for use in a variety of industries including manufacturing, logistics, field services and healthcare. The new Google Glass Enterprise Edition is designed with factory workers in mind — companies such as GE Aviation, AGCO, DHL, Dignity Health, NSF International, Sutter Health, Boeing, and Volkswagen have been using Glass over the past several years.
The new Glass EE includes an updated camera module that bumps resolution from 5 megapixels to 8, and it has longer battery life, a better processor, an indicator for video recording and improved Wi-Fi speeds.
The difference between the original Glass and the Enterprise edition could be summarized neatly by two images. The first is the iconic photo of Brin alongside designer Diane von Furstenberg at a fashion show, both wearing the tell-tale wraparound headband with display stub. The second image is what I saw at the factory where Erickson works, just above the Iowa state line and 90 miles from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Workers at each station on the tractor assembly line—sporting eyewear that doesn’t look much different from the safety frames required by OSHA—begin their tasks by saying, “OK, Glass, Proceed.” When they go home, they leave their glasses behind.
