Google Will Stop Selling Glass Next Week

2 minute read

Google is pressing the brakes on its Google Glass rollout.

The company will stop selling the smart glasses to individual customers through its Explorer program after Jan. 19, according to a post on Glass’s Google+ page. The company will continue to support its Glass at Work initiative, which aims to sell the glasses to enterprise customers.

Glass is also moving out of the Google X research lab to become its own independent unit. It will be headed by Google executive Ivy Ross, who has been leading the Glass team since last summer. That team will now report to Nest CEO Tony Fadell, though Glass is not actually becoming a part of Nest, most well-known for making smart home equipment.

The 10 Most Ambitious Google Projects

A driver drives a Google Inc. self-driving car in front of the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California on September 27, 2013.
Google Driverless Car The Google Self-Driving Car has been in the works since 2005 after a team of engineers won a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to design an autonomous car. The project, which aims to reduce traffic accidents, has made headway in recent years as states passed laws permitting self-driving cars. Google plans a commercial release between 2017 and 2020.David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Google Internet Balloon
Google has been testing balloons which sail into the stratosphere and beam Internet down to Earth. Jon Shenk—AP
This undated photo released by Google shows a contact lens Google is testing to explore tear glucose.
Google's smart contact lenses.Google/AP
Avatars from Google Lively.
Google Lively Google Lively was a web-based virtual community space where users could design avatars, chat with one another and personalize their online hangout space. The project was discontinued after a six-month stint in 2008 after limited success.Google/AP
Eye in the Sky
Google Earth Google's virtual map of the Earth allows users to tour the earth with 3-D satellite images. The project, which dates back to 2004, has already found significant applications in disaster relief.Google/AP
Google's modular phone (Project Ara) at Engadget Expand New York 2014 at Javits Center on Nov. 7, 2014 in New York City.
Project Ara Google's build-your-own-smartphone project allows users to customize their handsets to their own preferences, with the possibility of eliminating electronic waste by encouraging users to add hardware updates on their own terms. The team is working towards a limited market pilot in 2015.Bryan Bedder—Getty Images for Engadget Expand
colored pill capsules
Disease Detecting Pill Google unveiled its plans to disease-detecting ingestible pill in October, a project that'll let patients access their real-time health data to encourage preventative care. The pill will contain nanoparticles that can bind to certain cells and chemicals, with the possibility of detecting diseases like cancer in early stages.Getty Images
Flight team engineers Kenneth Jensen, left, Damon Vander Lind, center, and Matthew Peddie prepare for the first crosswind test of their 20kW Wing 7 airborne wind turbine prototype in Alameda, Calif. on May 24, 2011
Flying Wind Turbines The flying windmill is the project of Makani Power, a wind turbine developer acquired by Google in 2013. The tethered airborne turbines will harness wind energy for the goal of producing low-cost, renewable energyAndrea Dunlap—Makani Power/AP
Vic Gundotra, director of product management of Google, demonstrates Google+ on the Nexus 7 tablet during Google I/O 2012 at Moscone Center in San Francisco on June 27, 2012.
Google+ Google's social networking platform launched in 2011, the most successful service after several flops at designing a Facebook competitor, like the now-retired Google Buzz. Today, Google+ boasts over half a billion monthly active users.Stephen Lam—Reuters
Books
Google Books Google Books dates back to 2004, when Google partnered with libraries and universities to plan to digitize millions of volumes over the next several years. The project aims to make searching books as easy as searching the web.Getty Images

Google Glass, which has seen its official release delayed multiple times, has courted its fair share of controversy thanks to privacy concerns over its use. Google released a guide on how to avoid being a “Glasshole” using the wearable device, which can take pictures, record video and look up content on the Internet using voice commands.

Google offered no timetable for when a new version of Glass would be available to the general public. However, the Wall Street Journal reported in December that a new version of Glass with a processor developed by Intel would launch sometime in 2015.

See San Francisco Before the Tech Boom

Skip Wheeler and his wife groom their horses after Veteran’s Day Parade, Folsom at 2nd StreetImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
Longtime neighbors, Langton at Folsom StreetImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
Chinese Jumprope in front of Bessie Carmichael School, Folsom Street, 1980Image courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
Boy lifting weights, Langton StreetImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
Jill Scott and Perry Lancaster in their studio, 71 Langton StreetImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
Pat serving coffee at the Gordon Café in the Budget Hotel, 7th at Mission StreetImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
Johnny Ryan, Blacksmith, Klockar’s Blacksmith and Metal, 443 Folsom StreetImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
Office workers on lunch break near the site of the new convention center, 4th at Minna StreetImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
David, Father Leo Joseph’s roommate, 60 Langton StreetImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
Saturday afternoon, Howard between 3rd and 4th StreetsImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
10th at Folsom StreetImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
Russ Street ApartmentsImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
View of the Financial District from south of Market StreetImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
2nd at Market StreetImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
Langton between Folsom and Harrison StreetsImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney
Vanessa and Lalett Fernandez with their son, Langton Street ResidentsImage courtesy of the artist. © 2014 Janet Delaney

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