The introduction of Google Glass is still one of the best introductions to any device that I can remember. Most product unveilings are relatively low-key (not including some of the shows Samsung has put on in the past), but with Glass there was a lot of open air, jumping out of airplanes, and showcasing heads-up displays. It was a lot of fun, and it certainly left a mark on the mobile industry.
Google Glass is an exciting new idea, and one that Google has been expanding on ever since its debut. Not only have they been building on it behind closed doors, but they've let real life users take part in the Explorer Program at the same time, to get some real world experience while they continue to fine tune the device.
That Explorer Program isn't free, though. When Google introduced it, and let folks start taking advantage of the wearable, the price tag was set at $1,500. A high mark, especially for something that hadn't been tested yet. More to the point, a device that, for all intents and purposes, is being sold so that it can be tested to begin with. $1,500 for barely a beta product.
Here we are now, several months later, in the year that Google is rumored to start selling Glass to the public. (Some reports have suggested it could be 2015, and that is starting to make more sense.) While there have been plenty of updates, both to the software and the hardware, and even changes that allow for prescription lenses. A partnership with Luxottica opens a few doors for the wearable, too. At some point in the future.
But that future date is still unknown. While it's no surprise that Google obviously has some kind of rough outline as to when they think they might start selling Glass to the world, for the rest of us it's just some assumptions based on rumors. During that time, we're going to continue to hear about the price tag that'll be attached to Glass when it finally does land on shelves, both digital and physical. We've all heard that it will actually go up, maybe to $2,000; while other rumors suggest that we could see a significant price drop, maybe even down to $500.
Today's news, though, might paint a pretty stark picture if you were hoping for that price drop.
Nothing's set in stone for the future, final release, mind you, but according to a new report from The Verge, Google's gearing up to let anyone out there buy Google Glass if they so desire, apparently just for one day. The sale will net you Glass, as well as a free sunglass shade *or* a prescription frame. A nice little bonus, for sure, but that price tag is still set at $1,500.
I think Glass is still a cool idea, and there's a lot of room for it to grow, and get acceptance in the community at large. Glass made an impact from the day it was announced, and I have no doubt it's going to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. I just can't help but think that that price tag may prevent *a lot* of people from picking the device up.
But, if this one-day sale is real, and Google is going to open the floodgates to anyone that wants a piece, I guess this will be a good indicator of how the wearable will last out there in the real world. I imagine this is why Google would do something like this at all -- to test the waters, just as they have been right from the start. A one-day sale may not offer the best chance for a lot of people to buy the device, but at least it will show Google, in some small capacity, the consumer's willingness to throw their money at the search giant.
So here's my question to you: Given the opportunity, even a short one like we might see soon, are you going to take the leap? Are you gearing up to buy Glass as soon as you can? Or is the price tag too much? Let me know!