Upon its launch three years ago, Google Glass, a headset that enabled the user to record their day-to-day actions while also playing with a handful of games and apps, met with a great deal of controversy, mainly due to its accessibility and the fact that, well, some folks just didn’t want to be filmed. (The high price didn’t help, either.)
Alas, the time for Google Glass has come – at least, in its current form. The company has confirmed that it will stop selling the glasses set, although current models will continue to work. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s set to give up its futuristic vision, as it will soon be released as a standalone project, instead of as part of the Google-X program. Former Apple executive and Nest founder Tony Fadell has been assigned the project, according to TechCrunch.
The company hasn’t wasted any time beefing up the potential of what is essentially Google Glass 2, as a post in its Google Plus page confirmed that “you will start to see future visions of Glass when they are ready.”
“As we look to the road ahead, we realize that we’ve outgrown the lab and so we’re officially ‘graduating’ from Google-X to be our own team here at Google,” the post continued. “We’re thrilled to be moving even more from concept to reality.”
“As part of this transition, we’re closing the Explorer Program so we can focus on what’s coming next. January 19th will be the last day to get the Glass Explorer Edition. In the meantime, we’re continuing to build for the future,” it concluded.
When can we expect Google Glass 2, however The company insists that development isn’t too far off, and we can expect the new consumer-friendly build of the headset to arrive in 2015. “It is not clear what Intel chip Google will use in the new version of Glass, but there will be an emphasis on power conservation,” the company insisted.
So, no, Glass isn’t going away. It’s simply evolving.
