![]() Referenced, but rarely seen, hunted almost to extinction because it was not only different, but condemned as dangerously different. Glass, despite being on the “bleeding edge” of tech, became an enigma. Soon after this period though, it effectively just disappeared. It was a more regular sight at large industry events like Mobile World Congress, although even then, there may have only been one or two Glass wearers among the thousands attending. I liked the notifications, it was really cool to look up into the night sky and see a star map on the little screen pinpoint the constellations in real time, and it was excellent for recording video or shooting stills hands-free.īut in all the time I wore Glass, I never came across any other member of the public wearing it. I was self-conscious about wearing it at first, but it soon passed and I began to actually enjoy using it in the way it was intended. Andy Boxall/DigitalTrendsīeyond the odd “Are you recording right now?” question - always asked jokingly, mind you - and a few stares, I never experienced any anger or ridicule around Glass. Only the original Samsung Galaxy Fold has come close to having this affect on people since. It was always fun to let people try Glass out - it was just so new, so completely unlike anything else. A man once ran to catch up with me at a train station, then breathlessly asked if I worked for Google and, if so, could I get him Glass. I wore Glass to a comic book convention in London and got more attention than some of the cosplayers. It was the ultimate tech conversation piece, and I don’t think it has really been surpassed in this respect. But I still wanted to experience living with it myself, so I began to wear Glass on a regular basis. One memorable time, I visited a company that had a peripheral that allowed you to control Glass with your mind. It has fascinated me since I first saw it at Google I/O 2012, and I wrote about it quite often. Glass was at once one of the hottest, most talked-about pieces of new tech, yet at the same time was so completely divisive and undesirable that it couldn’t retain its actual value. It’s quite hard to imagine what a bizarre juxtaposition this was. ![]() It wasn’t even the cheapest on eBay, but it was the closest to me and I could collect it in person. I paid 500 British pounds, or around $625 today, for it, which was half the retail cost. ![]() People weren’t interested, put off either by the controversy or the prospect of wearing a piece of tech. A lot of people won it, but it seemed not many wanted to try it out and put it on their faces, and a lot of Google Glass units began showing up on eBay. This wasn’t long after Glass’s official launch in the U.K., and a company - I forget which one, but it had nothing to do with tech at all - had run a competition where Glass was provided as a runnera-up prize. I remember being handed the unopened Google Glass box by the eBay seller I’d purchased it from, who paused before saying: It also couldn’t crack mainstream understanding and acceptance, as the situation in which I purchased my own Google Glass in early 2015 illustrated. Glass’ social problems weren’t the only thing it failed to overcome. Has there been any other single piece of consumer technology that has had such specific guidelines on its use since then? It’s incredible to look back on. A BBC report from 2014 has a collection of official statements from companies like Starbucks, Virgin Fitness, a theater chain, and a hospital on how customers should use Glass. It became a device that attracted as much hatred as it did interest, and managed to kickstart wide-ranging conversations about privacy that still echo today. Almost immediately after launch, controversy stalked it. At that time the price was outrageous - the Apple iPhone 5 cost $649 when it launched in September 2012 - yet many enthusiastic tech fans would have gladly handed it over to own Glass at that moment. They’d also have to wait until the next year for it to actually be delivered. Only those attending Google I/O would be able to pre-order the very first Explorer Edition devices, and only if they had $1,500 in their pockets. The fact it was there on stage, looking like it came from Star Trek, was exciting enough, but that it was really going on sale was the stuff of dreams.Īt first, Glass was about as exclusive as tech gets. ![]() There was a feeling the company was operated by people like us, and Glass was exactly the kind of sci-fi-inspired product we’d be experimenting with if we were part of a team of very clever people and had billions of dollars at our disposal. ![]() But that’s hindsight, and at the time it was ridiculously thrilling, and truly reflected what made Google a firm favorite with tech geeks. ![]()
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