Google Glass with Intel Chips - US$199 Google Glass Plus coming as Intel Core M 14nm Processor

Google Glass seems all but forgotten since they began selling it to the public for some US$1500 as stated in my blog article entitled “Google Glass launched early as a Product - Google pre-empting Samsung Galaxy Glass and Facebook's Oculus Rift replacing the smartphone in 2015 the Year of the Sheep”.

A recent report points to potentially new groundbreaking hardware change coming to Google Glass from Intel in the form of a new Core M 14nm Processors aka Broadwell as hinted in the article “The Next version of Google Glass may have an Intel Chip inside”, published December 1, 2014, By Andy Boxall, Digitaltrends and “Google Glass Deal Thrusts Intel Deeper Into Wearable Tech”, published Nov. 30, 2014 7:59 p.m. ET By ALISTAIR BARR and DON CLARK, Wall Street Journal.

But why the sudden shift in a project most Google Explorers knew was experimental and set to launch in 2015 as noted in the article “We’re killing Google Glass by forgetting it’s just one big experiment”, Published November 24, 2014 By Brian Heater, Digitaltrends?

It may be an indication of a Battery redesign, change in Chip Supplier to meet a coming huge demand surge and potentially a coming price drop!

Google Glass with Intel Chips - Project merely in hibernation, as Intel will make the bulky battery disappear

This is potentially exciting news, as Core M 14nm Processors aka Broadwell as described in my blog article entitled “Intel Core M Processor codenamed Broadwell – How Fanless, Smaller and Thinner proves that If Life Gives you Lemons, Make Lemonade” would mean that the battery used on the Google Glass could be made smaller and even fit inside of the Glasses themselves, instead of being a battery pack that's tethered to the Google Glass as is the current configuration.

This along with their partnership with Luxottica to introduce luxury brand frames will go a long way towards making the Google Glass more pret-a-porter and thus gain wider acceptance among the public as noted in my blog article entitled “Google Glass partners with Luxottica to design Google Glasses for 2015 Launch - Google Glass now on the Path to going Mainstream with US$199 Glasses”.

Texas Instruments no longer in Mobile – US Army and Medical Doctor Interest requires stable Processor Supplier

The shift makes sense, as Texas Instruments, the original chipmaker for the Google Glass, had actually stopped producing Processors for Mobile devices like smartphone and tablets to focus on the coming trend towards Internet of Things always-connected world products as stated in the article “Goodbye OMAP? Texas Instruments to stop investing in mobile processor business”, published September 27, 2012, By Andy Boxall, Digitaltrends.

This mean that the Google Glass was really using outdated Processors and worse, when demand ramps up, they might not be able to get a dedicated supply of Processors, especially as Texas Instruments isn't exactly going to restart an old design just for one company’s product.

It may also be the case that they're facing increased orders from the US Army who'd ordered the product for testing from Google back in April 2014 as stated in my blog article entitled “US Air Force testing the use of Google Glass in Combat - Helping Professionals on the Front Lines of their respective fields”.  They'd  probably like the product and are simply ordering more but for the entire US Army, not just a test group.

Additionally, the idea of doctors using Google Glass while doing surgical operation might also be spreading from the original guinea-pigs at UC Irvine School of Medicine as stated in my blog article entitled “US$1500 Google Glass for UC Irvine School of Medicine is also on Sale to Public - Ramp up for 2015 Public Launch as UWI Med Sci Students have Tablets but no Glass” and the increased interest may be resulting in increased orders from the medical community in the US of A and internationally.

Increased demand in 2015 – Google Glass Pro, Enterprise and Plus version coming

Thus the shift to Intel is really about guaranteeing suppliers in case customer makes a run on the product. By that logic, I’m basically implying that the price for Google Glass might fall down from the lofty heights of US$1500 to more manageable prices, with Google making three (3) versions of Google Glass:

1.      US$999 Google Glass Pro

2.      US$599 Google Glass Enterprise

3.      US$199 Google Glass Plus

The US$999 Google Glass Pro would be for Engineering and Technical Groups e.g. Doctors, Army, etc. that is unlimited in its functionality and having Apps tailored specifically to their work environment.  

The US$599 Google Glass Enterprise would be targeted at Corporate and Enterprise customer, again with Cloud-based Apps specifically tailored for an Office environment or other aspects of their work.

Finally, the US$199 Google Glass Plus is for the regular consumer and is made to be fashionable, looking like a regular pair of glasses. It’ll be offered as a frame option via their partner Google Glass’s partner VSP when next persons got to fill their prescriptions.

This pricing would put it in the same range as a wearable product such as a Android Wear powered Smartwatch such as the LG G Watch as described in my Geezam blog article entitled “LG’s G Watch R smartwatch by the end of October in time for Christmas 2014”.

Google Glass Calling – How smartglasses and smartwatches can replace the smartphone

With Intel’s tech inside, we may see a Google Glass that not only look like regular glasses but can sync with smartphones and Tablets and make phone calls. In the process, they'll fulfill their ultimate manifest destiny of making the Smartphone and Tablet obsolete as predicted in my blog article entitled “Google Glass Designer Isabelle Olsson puts Leopard frames on Google Glass - Smart + Sexy = Smexy glasses Katy Perry Roar for Tablet and smartphone Extinction”.

Albeit the Google Glass can already make Voice dialled Calls, adding the synch function to make it work as an extension of a smartphone or Tablet. With a faster, more energy-efficient Intel Core M 14nm Processor, Google Glass would be in the same league as the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch that can also make phone calls as noted in my Geezam blog article entitled “Samsung’s Galaxy Gear S Smartwatch coming to Jamaica while reppin’ for Tizen”.

Making that bulky battery disappear will make this a true wearable and a new Power efficient Processor appears to be a step in that more stylish direction for those choosing to upgrade their glasses with Google's Optometrist partner VSP as stated in my blog article entitled “Google Glass partners VSP Global to make them more fashionable and thus mainstream - A perfect replacement for the Smartphone that’ll see many Americans Frozen staring in space”.

Hopefully too, Intel might lend some of their experience with placing Processors inside of wearables that they've gained from the production of the rather up market Intel’s US$1000 MICA Bracelet as explained in my blog article entitled “Intel’s US$1000 MICA Stylish Bracelet – Pret-a-porter Alert Bracelet for the Nouveau Fashionistas”.

Believe it or not, with all the tech that Google can pack inside of Google Glass, if it makes you look uncool and increases the perception that you are a Glass-hole, it won’t sell.