North Announces Next Generation of Focals Shipping In 2020

The most advanced smart glasses ever made, North has further miniaturized its technology by 40%; making Focals 2.0 lighter, sleeker and featuring a dramatically sharper 10x improved retinal display

/EIN News/ -- WATERLOO, Ontario, Dec. 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- North, makers of Focals smart glasses, today announced that its next generation of smart glasses, Focals 2.0, will begin shipping in 2020. Focals lead the emerging category of everyday smart glasses with a revolutionary display that offers heads up access to your digital life. North is committed to inventing the future of eyewear and Focals 2.0 represent the most significant product introduction to date in the category.

“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,” said Stephen Lake, CEO and co-founder of North. “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.”

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. “Focals 2.0 is such an incredible step forward and we are gearing up to bring to market at scale,” 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.”

North announced Focals in October 2018, reigniting excitement in the smart glasses category and signaling the future of Rx eyewear: all-day everyday smart glasses that look as good as the best traditional eyewear. The launch included the opening of two North Flagship Retail Showrooms in Brooklyn and Toronto, followed by mobile Pop-Up Showrooms that have been touring major cities since February 2019. Most recently, North debuted the Focals Showroom iOS app, enabling customers to complete the required sizing process (via an iPhone X or above) and purchase Focals online.

You can sign up for North’s email list at www.bynorth.com or follow North @focalsbynorth to receive updates about Focals 2.0.

About North
North is an eyewear company on a mission to deliver a great pair of smart glasses you can wear all day, every day. We believe the future of eyewear is smart glasses that require no compromise from traditional eyewear: they must look great, feel great, and reflect personal style. The first generation of Focals launched in October 2018. Focals 2.0, the most advanced smart glasses ever made, will begin shipping in 2020.

North was founded in 2012 by three graduates of the University of Waterloo's mechatronics engineering program, Stephen Lake, Matthew Bailey, Aaron Grant, North has grown to a world-leading team of engineers, researchers, designers and creators. North has raised over $170M USD to date from investors including the Amazon Alexa Fund, Intel Capital and more.

Media Contact
Janie Elderdice
press@bynorth.com