Google has not put to rest its
Glass headset project, as the technology is "too important to scrap," executive chairman Eric Schmidt claims. The graduation of the Glass Explorer Program from Google X Labs in
January with the team reporting to Nest's Tony Fadell was performed to make Google Glass "ready for users" and to expedite its eventual general release.
Speaking to
the Wall Street Journal, Schmidt admitted there was a misinterpretation by the media over the changes. "It is a big and very fundamental platform for Google," claimed Schmidt. "We ended the Explorer program and the press conflated this into us canceling the whole project, which isn't true. Google is about taking risks and there's nothing about adjusting Glass that suggests we're ending it."
Schmidt compared Glass to the company's self-driving car efforts, suggesting it to be a long-term project. "That's like saying the self-driving car is a disappointment because it's not driving me around now. These things take time."
Under Fadell's leadership, the
next version of Glass is said to be a cheaper device that will also have a longer battery life, a better display, and better audio quality, along with more familiar styles of spectacles and other eyewear. The team will apparently be more secretive with the development of the new version, with work taking place with relatively few public announcements.
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