Google announced on Thursday that it will no longer sell its Google Glass eyewear beginning Jan. 19.
Those who are interested in joining the Explorer program have until the said date, but the kit will still be available to companies and developers for applications. Google might have decided to kill the project after the $1,500 eyewear failed to draw huge sales when it was released to the public last year due to privacy issues, technical flaws and functionality, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Aside from ending the sales, Google also overhauled the project's leadership to prepare for the release of another version in 2015. The Glass is moving out from the Google X research lab and will still be headed by of Ivy Ross. The team will be reporting as a stand-alone division to Nest Labs CEO Tony Fadell who will supervise the changes in the project.
Now that Fadell has stepped in to oversee the future of the new Glass, it is expected that the new version will be so much better than its "dead" form. Fadell is a former Apple designer and has a strong background on the "Internet of things" because of Nest, so the expectation is higher, especially in improving the functionality of the wearable device, BBC News reported.
Google did not specify a release date for 2015 or any other information about its specifications and target market, although it is likely that the company will target business users instead of the general public.
