SAN FRANCISCO – Google will stop selling its Internet-connected eyewear to consumers until the company can develop a more polished and affordable version that’s less likely to be viewed as a freakish device.
The sales moratorium on the nearly 2-year-old “Explorer” edition of Google Glass goes into effect Jan. 19. The decision announced Thursday coincides with Glass’ spin-off from the secretive Google X lab where it was invented.
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Glass will now operate in a division run by veteran marketing executive Ivy Ross. She will report to Tony Fadell, who runs the smart-appliance maker Nest Labs that Google bought for $3.2 billion last year.
Glass is a hands-free device featuring a thumbnail-sized screen above the wearer’s right eye. It cost $1,500 and raised privacy concerns for its potential to secretly take pictures and videos.
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