Google Glass no longer being sold, for a while at least

Even though it sounds very interesting and useful in theory, Google Glass didn’t really manage to prove itself a product worthy of purchase. Whether it’s the spicy price tag of $1,500 or the stigma associated with wearing a computer on your face and being called a Glasshole, these electronic glasses are not doing a very good job at appealing to customers. As you might imagine, the folks over at Google are not oblivious to this and have finally decided to take action. The first order of business will be to stop selling Google Glass, at least for a while, as the team who handles the project is “graduating from Google[x] labs” and becoming an independent division.

In a rather melodramatic post on Google+, the team mentions that the open beta phase for the device, also known as the Explorer Program, will end on Monday, January 19th. In other words, you’d better hurry if you want to purchase the Explorer Edition of Google Glass because the electronic glasses will be pulled off the selves after that. The newly formed independent division will be reporting to Nest’s CEO Tony Fadell from now on. Nest itself, which was purchased by Google last year, will remain an independent division and will not undergo any changes. As for what the next iteration of Google Glass will look like, the team only says that we’ll be able to see them “when they’re ready.”

Word on the street is that Google has been working on making various changes to the device in order to make them more appealing to customers. Specifically, the company has been trying to hide the display so that other people will stop starting at Google Glass users everywhere they go. This will presumably be achieved by fitting all the hardware inside a thicker frame, which may or may not end working as intended. Rumor has it that the next version of Google Glass will have a very thick frame but will otherwise be indistinguishable from regular glasses. Granted, a very thick frame will still make the owner stand out from the crowd, but it will arguably still be an improvement over the current model. That said, make sure to take this with a grain of salt until the team that handles the project is ready to unveil the next version.