Google has announced that it will no longer sell its experimental version of Google Glass which went on sale last year for a whooping $1500. The company said that the Glass project would not be scrapped, with development continuing towards the creation of a viable consumer product but did not indicate when its next version would be made available. Nest’s Tony Fadell will be in charge of the project , with a new version of Glass rumored for later this year.
Despite plenty of early hype and generally positive coverage, Glass turned into a public relations issue for Google the day it went on sale. Google, which is typically quick to cancel failing projects, decided to stoically sit this one out. Early users of Glass were very excited about the product, which enabled them get information in a small screen above their right eye, take photos and videos, and get directions. The technology blogger Robert Scoble said he could not now imagine living a day without the product, and was even photographed wearing it in the shower. But he and others soon tired of Glass, complaining that it was not evolving in the ways that had been promised. There were also concerns about privacy and safety, with some bars and restaurants banning the use of the smart glasses on their premises.
With its investment in Magic Leap, Google now also has access to what looks to be pretty revolutionary augmented-reality technology. Combine that with all of the other tech we’ve seen over the last two years — and everything else the Glass team hopefully learned (including how not to market it) — and the next version could actually be much more interesting.
