Google has suspended sales of its Google Glass eyewear, and announced plans to put the project under different management.
Following poor reviews and critical press coverage, including numerous privacy concerns, sales of the smartglasses have been halted for an indeterminate period of time. The company says sales of Google Glass - which sold for $1,500 at launch - will be suspended from next week onward, and the project placed under different management.
The Glass team will continue to develop the product, including potential new versions, under the oversight of Tony Faddell, the CEO of Nest Labs, which was acquired by Google early last year. This move marks a shift from Google X, Google"s "future tech" laboratory which previously managed the development of Glass.
The legality of Glass and concerns over privacy have been at the forefront of its controversial launch and marketing, with critics citing concern over its facial recognition capabilities, as well as the ability to record conversations with little indication to the parties involved. Organizations have also expressed concerns over Google"s eyewear technology, including AMC Theatres, which alerted Homeland Security agents to a movie patron wearing Google Glass, and a Seattle-area restaurant which banned the use of Google Glass on its premises outright.
Google says despite the rocky parts of its launch, they will do their best to continue developing and supporting the Glass technology.
Source: FT