Luxottica, the Italian eyewear giant behind Ray-Ban sunglasses and the Sunglass Hut , is making a new version of Google’s Glass.
The Luxottica chief exec Massimo Vian confirmed that its deal with Google to make the company’s eyewear is still active and will see a new version produced soon, according to the Wall Street Journal.
According to the WSJ, Luxottica’s Vian told shareholders that he recently met with the Glass team and said there are “some second thoughts on how to interpret version three” of Glass. The company is currently working on version two, he added. Vian didn’t say when the next Glass device would be ready, however.
“Luxottica added that the two major proprietary brands of the Group, Ray-Ban and Oakley who has a 10-year heritage in wearable technology that has evolved from MP3 to HUD devices, will be a part of the collaboration with Glass; however details about these new products will be disclosed at a later stage.”
He also stated that Luxottica’s wearables deal with Intel is still going ahead, and a product is set to be released between February and March (2016) next year.
The company said when it first signed the deal with Intel that it expected to launch an initial product this year.
“Luxottica has built an impressive history over the last 50 years designing, manufacturing and distributing some of the most successful and well-known brands in eyewear today.” Said Google Vice President and head of Google X Astro Teller. “We are thrilled to be partnering with them as we look to push Glass and the broader industry forward into the emerging smart eyewear market.”