Why have failed Google Glass

In January, Google without explanation stopped selling Google Glass glasses and rumors that the project will be closed. And on Saturday the company suddenly announced that the project resets and a new version of Google Glass will be designed completely from the ground up under the leadership of former Apple designer, Tony Fadell. What was the reason for such measures do the project was as a failure? The simple answer is no, so let's try to understand.

To understand what went wrong, you need to go back a few years ago in Mountain View, where among the company's colorful logo and magnificent maples, Google founders and a handful of trusted executives compiled a list of the hundred most futuristic ideas. In this list were geolocation service to work inside buildings and even a project called Google Brain, but Priority was shifted towards a new type of wearable computers that can be attached to the skin, possibly in the form of points. By the end of 2009, the then head of Eric Schmidt, the company entered into negotiations with Sebastian Thrun, a genius of Stanford University, in order to put these ideas into practice.

According to several Google employees who worked on "Project X» (both dubbed him Troon) in the early stages, the lab soon took refuge in Google campus. There was created the first prototype of virtual reality devices, which subsequently became known as Google Glass.

Troon hired to work on the Google Glass a lot of researchers and science luminaries, including Astro Teller and Babak Parvitsa - the foremost experts in the field of wearable computers, as well as designer Isabelle Olsson. Later founder Sergey Brin, united them in a team to help start «Google X".

Under the leadership of Brin and Troon "Project X" was developed and has been hidden from the public eye for over a year. "Conventional Google employees each day passing by the building and did not even know on how ambitious project are hard at work within its walls," - says one of the participants in Google X. The

In 2011, leaked information about Google's secret laboratory that worked on "Project X". While between engineers working on Google Glass, a dispute broke out - some argued that sunglasses should be worn continuously on Throughout the day (as a "trendy gadget"), while others claimed that they should be used only in certain situations. However, all agreed on the opinion that the current prototype in the form of points - the best option and it can be based on, modify some of the nuances.

But there was among them one dissenter - Sergey Brin. He knew of the project is still far from the final stages of development, but believed that it is necessary to provide the public, and not hide in the lab. Thus he wanted to see the reaction of consumers and use the feedback to improve the functionality and design of the gadget.

To emphasize the fact that the Google Glass are still in development, the company has decided not to sell the glasses through retail stores, but instead this limit the audience with Glass Explorers, a select group of geeks and journalists, who paid $ 1,500 for the right to be early testers. But the strategy backfired, because of the increased interest of various media, have not received "a piece of history" - around Google Glass has arisen unhealthy hype and more hype.

"" X project team "knew that the product is still very far from the stage where it can be presented to the public", - says a former employee of Google. But the marketing department and Mr Brin had other plans.

Points presented with great fanfare at the Google Developers Conference in 2012: skydivers with Google Glass shoot your flight directly at them, and Brin reveled in delight those crowds, apparently feeling Tony Starck.

It looked cool, it was not quite the "exit out" what was needed quiet secret project.

Paratroopers and model caused a sensation, but after the first review of the technical reviewers of Google Glass luster immediately dimmed. Glasses described as "the worst product of its time": they had a battery, from which the autonomy wanted to cry, and a whole bunch of different bugs. In addition, there was a problem of privacy and the fact that the glasses you are not allowed in many places, including bars, movie theaters and other places where customers are prohibited from recording.

Google Glass became the object of desire before work on them over and they all could be considered ready device.

At the beginning of 2014 in the Google X lab scandal erupted, worthy of the front pages of the tabloids. In the midst of 3D-printers and microchips between Brin and marketing manager for Google Glass Amanda Rosenberg struck up a love affair. Spice it gives even the fact that Rosenberg was familiar, even friendly with his wife Brin.

From that moment, it would seem, the decline of Google Glass. Stood at the origins of the project team abandoned him (including Parvitsa, who moved to the Amazon). But Brin, had never missed an opportunity to appear in public with Google Glass, I stopped wearing them.

The news of the closure of the Glass Explorer program was widely seen as the beginning of the end of the Google Glass. But maybe everything will be a little different. For the revival of Google Glass will be closely watching Ivy Ross, jewelry designer, who heads Google smart division points and Tony Fadell, a former Apple employee, creator of the iPod and a smart thermostat Nest.

"The First Google Glass prototypes had a lot of rough edges, but they allowed us to learn what is important for consumers and companies", - Fadell said in a statement. "I am honored to work with Ivy. Together, we will determine the direction of development and to maintain it. She leads a team and working together, we combine our knowledge, applying them in future products. "

Several people close to Fadell said that he was going to create a product completely from the ground up and will not release it until it is completely ready. As one of the advisers Fadell: "There will be no public testing. Tony is the man who will present the product only when it will be fine. "

(via)