Google Acquires AR Glasses Startup North

Jul. 1, 2020

“We’re excited to have North join us in our broader efforts to build helpful devices and services…North’s technical expertise will help as we continue to invest in our hardware efforts and ambient computing future,”wrote Google’s Senior Vice President of Devices & Services Rick Osterloh in a blog post.

North will discontinue its current Focals 1.0 andwill not be shipping Focals 2.0. The company launched Focals 1.0 at $999 in January last year. Focals 1.0 received a $400 price cut within a month and retailed at $599. However, North stopped selling Focals 1.0 last December.

Google did not reveal the financial aspects of the deal but the estimated amount is somewhere around $180 million. In a separateblog post, co-founders of North – Stephen Lake, Matthew Bailey, and Aaron Grant say the deal would significantly advance their shared vision.

“This acquisition is a terrific fit for North and, importantly, we’re staying here in Kitchener-Waterloo. We’re proud to have grown our company in the Kitchener-Waterloo region and are thankful for the tremendous support we’ve received from the community,”said the co-founders of North in a joint statement.

It will be interesting to see how Google puts North’s experience in smart glasses to good use, as the company progresses with its goals towards ambient computing.

Subin writes about consumer tech, software, and security. He secretly misses the headphone jack while pretending he’s better off with the wireless freedom.