Dive Brief:

• Google publicly announced the relaunch of its Glass products with an enterprise focus in July. The once-ridiculed consumer technology proved more successful in enterprise settings, according to Product Habits

• Google's commitment to the wearable tech throughout its "bumpy" ride opened new markets and future potential to return to a customer setting, reports Product Habits. Google Glass partners are creating modularized applications for the tech in verticals from manufacturing to healthcare to logistics.

• The company may face competition from Amazon, which is reportedly building its own smart glasses integrated with intelligent agent Alexa and smart home capabilities, according to the Financial Times.

Dive Insight:

Google's bet on Glass may yet pay off as augmented reality and virtual reality spending is predicted to increase from 2017's 11.4 billion to $215 billion by 2021. The company already faces competition from Microsoft and Intel in wearable enterprise tech, and other competitors like Amazon and VMware are gearing up their own wearable capabilities.

Google counts GE, Agco, DHL and Sutter health among its enterprise Glass clients. Retail and education are currently the largest market for the tech, but manufacturing, construction and professional services are opening their doors too. GE's recent test of Google Glass in factories assembling engines demonstrated the technology's use in reducing human error and improving efficiency.