Ever since Google announced they were shutting down the Explorer program for Google Glass earlier this year, there has been lots of speculation as to whether the wearable device was dead or not. Many people believe the shuttering of the old beta program was a sign that Google’s experiment had failed. However, others noted that Google had moved it to another part of the company, Tony Faddell’s Nest division, a sign that it would eventually re-emerge, probably with a more consumer-ready focus. Google’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt has now weighed in and made a clear statement that Google is committed to the Glass platform.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Schmidt indicated that Faddell’s role is “to make it ready for users” likely based on feedback received during the beta testing of 2013 and 2014 through the Explorer program. Schmidt went on to say,
“It is a big and very fundamental platform for Google. 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.”
Schmidt suggested the media jumped the gun in claiming Glass was dead and failed to recognize that such a project is long term in nature and takes considerable time to get right. Some of those adjustments will likely include addressing issues like the cost, battery life, and improvements to the sound and display. The devices have also suffered from a foil issue that would need to be addressed. Unlike the Explorer beta program, the next phase of development may employ an in-house strategy similar to other companies.
source: Wall Street Journal
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