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Ever since Google Glass “graduated” from Google X Labs, it seems we can’t write an article about the device without people proclaiming it’s dead. It’s not. Google is working on it. They’ve taken it private. Tony Fadell wants to take the early work done by the excellent team at Google and make sure he gets it just right, just like he did for Nest and the iPod, and he doesn’t want to show it until it’s ready.
Google Glass isn’t dead, so stop saying it. They’ve said it once, and now Eric Schmidt is saying it again:
“It is a big and very fundamental platform for Google,” Schmidt said. “We ended the Explorer program and the press conflated this into us canceling the whole project, which isn’t true. Google is about taking risks and there’s nothing about adjusting Glass that suggests we’re ending it.”
This is a thing. A real thing. A thing that’s happening. It might not be here as soon as we’d liked, but it’s not something Google is sweeping under the rug.
If you’re already an Explorer with the latest publicly-released unit, enjoy it. Stop obsessing and complaining over a new version that you won’t even be able to see until Google is ready to put them up for sale.
It’s OK to be concerned (and even angry) about the $1,500 prototype you bought that will eventually be obsoleted, and we certainly do hope those folks are hooked up with some sort of upgrade path once the consumer version is ready, but no amount of petitioning and rioting will change Google’s stance on the future development of Glass if they haven’t already changed it.
Beyond that, you knew what you were getting into. You knew Glass was still in the exploratory and platform-building phases and Google only wanted people who truly understood that to use it, which is why they asked you to pay $1,500 for a piece of kit that likely didn’t take nearly as much money to manufacture.
If Glass were truly dead, don’t you think they’d tell us just as they’ve done countless times in the past when they retired a lot of their other products? Sit back, relax, and let Google do their thing.
Ima be that guy that get’s Google Glass just for scouter apps.
But my foolishness aside, I’m assuming the same is going for Project Ara. I haven’t heard much from it, though I’ve also haven’t taken the time to look it up.
wasn;t that scheduled for pilot release in costa rica or puerto rico later this year?
They’ve made a lot of movement in the past few months and will begin piloting in Puerto Rico this year. Toshiba is working on some great modules, as are many others. These things take time and, in the case of early ideas like this one, finesse. Not too many people seem to understand that in today’s world of “NOW NOW NOW.”
The Mighty Quentyn speaks my brothers and sisters.
*kneels*
You should follow them on Facebook. It’s not the most active page but it’s still pretty interesting to see the stuff the post.
Google glass was born dead, like g+, only that g+ is a zombie
So true and well put.
Glass is dead, but their version of Android for it is not. It’s about the software. It always has been. Hence the investment in hardware partners.
I’ve been using Google Plus more for the communities. =.3
Welcome to the %000000,1
The King is dead! Long live the King!
How cool would it be if they integrated glass into their $500m investment in Magic Leap?
Get rid of the camera then integrate a heads-up-display screen into existing eye glass lenses and it has a shot. Also maybe move the components/battery to back on eyeglass string – or provide that as an option. Can use a flatpack style with much higher battery life.
It needs to look like normal glasses before marketing to consumers. Maybe have a ‘sport/activity/commercial’ version with obvious camera, but not for everyday use.
They better not get rid of the camera! I’ll be very upset if they do. I have a very hard time holding my phone to take pictures or video because of my disabled hands. The camera on Glass is one of the features I could use the most.
They need to offer both options as those with camera are viewed as a privacy issue. And the ones with camera need to be obvious it’s a camera that could be recording you.
the ‘privacy issue’ is a manufactured crisis, there’s not a single documented case, unlike the i phone.
Even Google go through denial phase like humans before accepting dead end fate.
What’s Google Glass?
Glass is dead
My body is ready.
I’m so excited for the next version of Glass. I will get so much use out of it as a quadriplegic. I don’t mind if they change the look but I hope they don’t reduce its functionality. If I had had $1,500 during the Explorer program, I would have been perfectly happy to be an early tester. Let’s hope the price of the next version is $500 or less.
This should be pretty obvious. Google closed the project shortly after investing $500m into Magic Leap. Do you think they only put money into the project? Why, as someone who has already showed interest and worked on the software side (which is what Google has always been good at), would they invest that much money if they didn’t share at least a portion what they already knew from both software and hardware? $500m is just a figure, it doesn’t summarize the contract.
Long story short, yes. VR is coming. So far the big players are Magic Leap/Google, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo? (Virtual Boy 2), and.. Facebook (Oculus Rift). I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple had something up it’s sleeve as well. Nintendo has yet to show anything, but technically they do have quite a bit of experience in the area… and regardless they know games, so basically all game console companies are on board.
TLDR: VR is coming.
Don’t forget Valve/HTC jumping in now, too.
Does this really need to be said ? Anyone with half a brain knew that shutting down the Explorer program was not the end of Glass.
Well these are the same people trying to keep Google+ alive even though nobody cares and it’s universally despised so I’d say the people with half a brain (and that’s being generous) are the ones running Google.
Nothing in the tech world is ever truly dead… Long Live Google ****
It’s wildly impractical, frivolous, and cumbersome to use. Why are people surprised that it’s languished so?
have you used it after achieving the usual technology learning curve, or are you speculating what you think it would be like?
Glass isn’t just dead, it’s flaming in a smouldering wreckage and good riddance.
Call me when I can scan people’s power levels.
Why are people still saying glass is dead this article just said it is not!
Yep. And the “privacy issue” was a manufactured crisis to give some blogger attention. There’s not one documented case of privacy invasion, unlike the i phone. http://nypost.com/2015/03/17/student-snaps-up-skirt-photo-of-teacher-after-phone-ban-is-lifted/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/05/15/the-iphone-app-your-boss-may-be-using-to-take-upskirt-photos-of-you/
Google waits for several months before saying a project has expired we all know that.
I see the flies starting to swarm waiting to deposit their larva.