Google Ceases Glass Sales, but is the Wearable Dead?

It had to happen someday, I just thought that it would take while longer than it has done. Google has made the decision to put the current Glass programme on the shelf. The company will stop producing the wearable “in its present form.” Although Google has apparently decided to end its experimental Glass programme, but the company “is still committed to launching [it] as a consumer product,” according to reports by the BBC.

Google only launched the product on the open market in the US back in 2013, After months of testing, and then in the UK last year. The product was heavily criticised, not only for its no so glamorous appearance, but mostly for its excessive $1,500 price.

The cessation of sales will occur over this week and Google will instead focusing on “future versions of Glass”.  The Glass team, which is currently part of the experimental “Google X” division, will be made into a separate team. This new team will report to Tony Fadell, chief executive of “internet of things” company Nest, which Google acquired back in 2012.

Google Glass was unveiled back in 2012, when one of Google’s co-founders, Sergey Brin, appeared at an event wearing it. The product was notoriously hard to get your hands on back then. Google decided to cherry-pick Google Glass “explorers”, they chose a select group of technology journalists, bloggers and some celebrities to try out the wearable. Glass quickly built up popularity with people in the tech field. this was due to zealous praise from fans of the optical computer, including blogger Robert Scoble, who once said he “couldn’t imagine a day without” his Google Glass.

The downside to the product was the fact that Google made the decision to keep the product in testing phase for months and months and months… People started to become frustrated as they were left out of the explorer programme. During this time Google Glass came under fore for different reasons. Some in the media claimed the device invaded their privacy. Infamously, in February last year, tech blogger Sarah Slocom was assaulted in a San Francisco bar, who objected to her recording them.

Google did try to address its image problem by launching a collaboration with Luxottica, the company behind Oakley and Ray-Ban. Google also collaborated with fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg, but despite a catwalk show in which the models wore Glass, it didn’t do much for Google in the long term.

Can the Glass device in any form, let alone it’s current one, survive? Only time will tell.

[Image via  dr.dk and hindustantimes]

SOURCE: http://www.cityam.com/207217/google-gives-google-glass