It was one other robust day for the tech sector yesterday, with Google asserting a brand new spherical of lay-offs, and slashing lots of of roles from a number of divisions.

As reported by The New York Occasions, the majority of the cuts have been amongst these engaged on Google Assistant, with the corporate now trying to re-shape the instrument round AI, and cut back some parts.

However one other fascinating level of word was this:

“Google stated that many of the {hardware} cuts affected a staff engaged on augmented actuality, expertise that mixes the actual world with a digital overlay.”

Whereas Apple and Meta are advancing in the direction of making AR an even bigger focus, with Apple’s first Imaginative and prescient Professional headsets to go on sale from February 2nd, Google’s now seemingly taking a step again.

May that imply that Google has fallen behind within the AR race, and it’s now conceding that the opposite tech giants have outmoded it?

Amid difficult market situations, the large gamers are being compelled to make some robust calls about their future bets, with Snap Inc. additionally reassessing their longer-term plans attributable to impacts within the digital adverts sector.

However AR does look set to have an enormous second, within the very close to future, and as such, it’s fascinating to see Google doubtlessly deprioritizing it, particularly contemplating the alternatives that it may present for discovery merchandise.

Certainly, over the previous few years, Google has shared a number of glimpses of its potential worth in an AR future, and the way digital overlays may complement Google’s core Search merchandise.

In 2022, Google even shared an outline of its personal, in-development AR glasses, that are nonetheless seemingly in testing.

Google’s additionally been experimenting with varied new initiatives as a part of its ARCore mission, together with AR video games.

In 2020, Google even partnered with Snapchat for an interactive tackle its ‘12 months in Search’ tendencies overview, and with all of this, it has appeared like AR can be a logical extension of Google’s varied parts, and as such, can be a key focus for the corporate transferring ahead.

The most recent cuts don’t essentially imply that it received’t be, however it’s fascinating to contemplate why Google can be scaling again on this space, on the cusp of the following stage of the tech.

Along with the pending Imaginative and prescient Professional launch, which is able to introduce extra individuals to those immersive experiences, Meta’s additionally planning to start actual world testing of its AR glasses prototype this 12 months.

With a lot occurring, it could seem to be Google needs to be digging in, however it’s scaling again as an alternative.

Which appears odd, and naturally, there could also be extra to it that we will’t know. But it surely may very well be that Google has determined that AR merely received’t be as massive part of its future plans.

It’ll be fascinating to see the way it all develops, and the way Google seems to be to combine AR parts as they emerge. At one stage, I had speculated that Google may very well be a suitor for Snapchat, and will enhance its AR performance by way of acquisition, which may nonetheless be on the playing cards, although given the broader cuts, that does appear unlikely.

But it surely’s fascinating to contemplate what Google’s focus can be, and the way it will look to construct across the subsequent tech tendencies.