Speaking at a meeting in Milan, Luxottica CEO of Product & Operations, Massimo Vian, said: "In Google, there are some second thoughts on how to interpret version 3. What you saw was version 1.
We're now working on version 2, which is in preparation." The quote is all the more intriguing given that a mystery Google device has just landed at the FCC, a "smart Bluetooth Low Energy device" with navigation controls similar to what we saw on the original Glass device.
Google issued a statement saying that, "the team is heads down building the future of the product" but did not provide any further details about the product or its partnership with Luxottica. With Google I/O just few weeks away, we can expect to hear more about Glass and other products from Google soon. A new sleep mode is mentioned, however, indicating that we could see an extended battery life in Glass 2.0.
New features expected to be present in the next-generation Google Glass includes sleep mode – which is anticipated to provide extended battery life to the wearable device – improved sound quality and a better display. The Google Glass 2.0 is also expected to have a lower price tag. Google Glass is also expected to be powered by Intel, following Luxottica’s deal with the chip-maker that is reportedly aimed at making fashionable smart glasses.Vian also confirmed that his company's deal with Intel would see a new product landing early in 2016.
Back in December, just days after it was revealed that Intel would be powering the next version of Google Glass, it was reported that the silicon giant had signed a deal with Luxottica to start making fashionable smart glasses. Luxottica is the parent company of a host of sunglass giants including RayBan and Oakley, Chanel and Prada; the company penned a deal with Google to make RayBan branded Google Glass back in April 2014 – an agreement that has yielded precisely zero devices so far.
