Google announced on Thursday it is ending its Google Glass project, but it hasn’t given up on the general idea of the glasses just yet.
Interested parties of Google Glass can still grab a pair of snazzy high-tech eyewear for about $1,500 until Monday , according to Relaxnews .
The Google Glass team explained to its Glass users, or Explorers, why the project was screeching to a halt after two years on Google+ social media.
“Glass was in its infancy, and you took those very first steps and taught us how to walk. Well, we still have some work to do, but now we’re ready to put on our big kid shoes and learn how to run.”
It is expected that Google Glass will become available to all consumers at a more affordable price, with polished features, in the near future.
Google Glass has been working under the Google X division, but will go on a separate undertaking and answer to Tony Fadell, the chief executive of the home automation business, Nest. Nest was acquired by Google a year ago, according to the BBC.
Fadell claimed Google Glass had “broken ground and allowed us to learn what’s important to consumers and enterprises alike” and he was looking forward to work with the Glass team “to integrate those learnings into future products.”
Initially, Glass was released to people who could afford it, still in beta form, in the United States. It was then tested in Britain. Typically, an Explorer had to connect Glass to a Wi-Fi hotspot or directly connect it to a mobile device. Explorers could upload and share pictures and videos to the Google+ network or use various apps the team was working on.
In preparation to release smart eyewear to the general public, Google Glass has struck a partnership with the company Luxottica. Luxottica stands behind the brands Ray-Ban, Oakley, Alain Mikli, and Vogue-Eyewear.
Although there is much interest in smart eyewear, there is even more concern about privacy issues. Because Google Glass can capture pictures and video, people are concerned about their own privacy and others around them are concerned about their privacy, as well.
While Google Glass works on its reputation to gain consumers’ confidence, others will not wait for the revamped version to arrive on the market. Many people will sacrifice $1,500 to own Google Glass before it disappears as a beta item and a part of technological history.
[Photo via Jaren Wilkey/BYU]
