What you need to know
- North has announced the next generation of its smart glasses, Focals 2.0.
- Focals 2.0 will begin shipping in 2020.
- North has shrunk its technology by 40% to make the new Focals 2.0 lighter and sleeker with a vastly-improved display.
North has today announced its next generation of Focals smart glasses, Focals 2.0.
Focals describes its next generation of smart glasses as "the most advanced smart glasses ever made". In 2.0, North has miniaturized its technology by 40%, which means Focals 2.0 will be lighter and sleeker. Not only that, they will also come with a retinal display that's a whopping 10 times sharper than the previous one!
North's previous offering, the original Focals, were released in October 2018. Back then, Focals were designed to reignite "excitement in the smart glasses category" and herald "the future of Rx eyewear." They were designed to be "all-day everyday smart glasses" that look just as good as traditional eyewear. Now, North is back with Focals 2.0, and they're better than ever. The original Focals by North brought users discreet, instant notifications that only you can see. They are based around incredible Rx lenses, which are holographic and can be built to your prescription!
Commenting on the launch, North co-founder and CEO Stephen Lake said:
"The first generation of Focals marked the evolution of traditional glasses to smart glasses, with a considered design representing the first true everyday smart glasses available on the market... Focals 2.0 are at a completely different level, as the most advanced smart glasses ever made. They represent an enormous step forward in engineering the future. We spent the last year in the market learning how to build, sell and support smart glasses with our first generation product, that we now will combine with over five years of research working on the technology upgrades in Focals 2.0."
Focals 2.0 go to market today, December 10, which means that the original Focals will no longer be available to purchase. Matthew Bailey, co-founder and CTO also said:
As of today, North is focused on bringing Focals 2.0 to market and the first generation of Focals will no longer be available for purchase... said CTO and co-founder Matthew Bailey. "Since launching Focals last fall, we have consistently updated the product experience and will continue to add new features and functionality to our first product generation as we build to our launch of 2.0."
To kickstart the launch, North will be opening two brand new North Flagship Retail Showrooms, one in Brooklyn, the other in Toronto! North's mobile Pop-Up Showroom will continue to tour major cities too, as it has done since February of this year. However, if you can't make it to a store, fear not. You'll be able to use North's recently-debuted Focals Showroom iOS app to purchase your Focals online. There's even an in-app sizing process to make sure they fit your face perfectly. But you'll need an iPhone X or above! (Showroom is not currently available on Android, so you might have to borrow an iPhone for that bit.)
If you want to stay up to date you can sign up to North's email list here, or head on over to Twitter and follow North @focalsbynorth.
