War Of Wearables: Google Looks To Rival Apple's Vision Pro, Meta, Samsung’s Glasses, Eyes AdHawk Buy

The wearables market comprising headsets and smart glasses is heating up, with all the top tech majors wanting a piece of the pie. 

While Apple is looking to align its devices ecosystem with the Vision Pro’s software, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg saying the company aims to ship millions and “eventually” billions of AI glasses, and rumours of its “half a dozen” AI-powered wearable launches in 2025, Google is now looking to push back into the space after almost a decade of laying low.

According to a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Alphabet Inc.’s Google is in talks to acquire eye-tracking technology company AdHawk Microsystems Inc. in bid to drive momentum in wearable tech.

Citing people with knowledge of the development, Gurman noted that Google will pay $115 million to acquire the Canadian startup. This includes $15 million in future payments that will depend on AdHawk meeting performance goals.

While the acquisition is expected to be completed this week, there is no certainty since the deal has not been signed, and both Google and AdHawk have declined to comment on the matter.

The Waterloo, Ontario-based AdHawk develops chips, hardware, and software to facilitate sophisticated eye tracking. It launched glasses dubbed MindLink, and its technology enables smart glasses to identify where the eye is looking through sensors that evaluate a user’s pupils and corneas.

Eye tracking is a critical component of augmented and virtual reality headsets. Apple’s Vision Pro interface has the capability, and so did the now-defunct Meta Quest Pro. Eye tracking will reportedly be crucial in Samsung’s Project Moohan too, a headset that might launch this year.

This isn’t Google’s first push into the smart eyewear space. The tech major launched “Glass” over a decade back, but the smart glasses failed to gain traction with users and the project was eventually abandoned. 

Google has since looked to getting back into the space with AI-powered glasses. The company has been testing new designs, and has even collaborated with Samsung. Most recently, Google and Samsung in December released the Android XR operating system.

With Google’s Gemini AI at its heart, Android XR aims to help users do a range of things through video and audio, including, for example, offer furniture assembly instructions using built-in cameras or powering vacations with Google Maps. 

The AdHawk acquisition is expected to further Google’s plans, and according to Gurman, the eye tracking technology could help the company commercialise the prototypes it’s been testing for years.