TORONTO -- An Ontario-based tech company acquired by Google last month has told customers that its smart glasses will no longer work after Friday.
North, which started as Thalmic Labs in 2012, announced on June 30 that it would be "winding down" production of its Focals smart glasses following the acquisition. After July 31, the "smart" element of the glasses will be unusable.
In a statement posted on the company's website, North said Focals 1.0, its first generation of smart glasses released last year, will be discontinued. The wearables company also said it has cancelled any plans to ship its second-generation Focals 2.0.
"Focals smart glasses and its services are being discontinued and will no longer be available after July 31, 2020. You won’t be able to connect your glasses through the app or use any features, abilities, or experiments from your glasses," the statement read.
As of Saturday, users will no longer be able to log into the Focals app and its support services will be discontinued. The app will also be removed from Google Play and the Apple App Store.
The Focals app will show a "You seem to be offline" error message once it has been disabled and customers will no longer be able to log in.
North recommends users delete the app from their mobile devices.
The company said full refunds will be given for all paid Focals orders, in the original payment method. Once the refunds are processed, North said its customers should see the money back in their accounts within a few business days.
North said it will reach out to select customers if the company is unable to process their refunds.
In an email to CTVNews.ca, a Google spokesperson said the company has "nothing else to add beyond" North's online statement.
Those who would like to delete their personal data from Focals can complete a Factory Reset through the Focals app before Friday. Customers can also contact North directly to remove their account data and sizing information.
The Kitchener-Waterloo company unveiled its Focals smart glasses back in October of 2018, two years after receiving US$120 million in funding from investors including Amazon and Intel.
After being acquired by Google in June, North's co-founders issued a statement saying they appreciate the support they’ve received from Focals customers and hope those customers will "continue the journey with us as we start this next chapter."
ctudor on July 29th, 2020 at 11:17 UTC »
buy and bury, the simplest tactic to conserve monopoly in the market....
EmberMelodica on July 29th, 2020 at 09:10 UTC »
They've been pebbled! Sad day..
My old pebbles were the best smart watches I've ever owned. They used e-ink displays so the battery lasted all week. The latest version even had color and was nearly as responsive as my current Samsung watch. The watch faces were extremely customizable even within individual faces, and making your own wasn't difficult. Now I have to download a new face just to change the color; customization is limited. And you have to have some proprietary program to make your own. All my apps worked perfectly, now I don't even use the Spotify app because it doesn't do what I want, and there are no other apps on this platform I'm interested in.
Pebble smart watches do still kind of work to some degree, thanks to a noble soul who's spoofing the pebble servers, but it's really not the same.
RotisserieChicken007 on July 29th, 2020 at 07:21 UTC »
I can understand that Google doesn't want to keep the brand under that name and incorporate the technology in its own products.
However, shutting down or bricking existing products is plain evil.
Edit: I am aware that customers will get refunds, but they'll lose the functionality they paid for and wanted. Also, this practice stifles innovation and competition, and leads to more monopolies imo.