Google Glass release is still a year away

The public release of Google Glass is still at least a year away. Executive Chairman of Google Eric Schmidt revealed over a radio interview with BBC Radio 4 that the company’s wearable computer won’t be available to the general public until 2014. He stated that the company will be using feedback it gets from developers using the device to further refine and fine-tune Glass for consumers, and this could take around a year.

The host asked Schmidt, “how soon is [Google Glass] likely to come onto the market?” He repled, “there will be thousands of [Google Glass] in use by developers over the next months, and then based on their feedback, we’ll make some product changes, and it’s probably a year-ish away.”

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Schmidt also talked about the biggest concern that critics of Glass have - privacy. He talks about how with the advent of wearable computers, a new kind of etiquette has to be formed where people will know when they can or should use their devices.

Schmidt said, “the fact of the matter is that we’ll have to develop some new social etiquette. It’s obviously not appropriate to wear these glasses in situations where recording is not correct. Companies like Google have a very important responsibility to keep your information safe but you have a responsibility as well which is to understand what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, and behave appropriately and also keep everything up to date.”

Still a year away

Just recently, Google CEO Larry Page revealed that Glass runs on Google’s Android operating system. “Glass runs on Android, so it’s (Android) been pretty transportable across devices, and I think that will continue,” he said.

It is getting increasingly clear that Google Glass is not a niche experimental product and Google is serious about this futuristic gadget. Elaborating on his experience while using the device Page said, “I get chills when I use a product that is the future, and that happens when I use Glass. Someday we’ll all be amazed that computing involved fishing around in pockets and purses.” Many have felt that the $1500 tag was too high for the Glass and the Google CEO made it clear that the Glass was not a luxury product but the price will stay high for a while.

Earlier this month, Google had revealed that the company will be shipping Glass to developers within the coming month, but the search giant hasn’t given any concrete date for the device.

The Google CEO also said he was very excited by what he has seen at Motorola, which Google acquired almost a year ago. “…having seen Motorola’s upcoming products myself, I am really excited about the potential there. In just under a year they’ve accomplished a lot and have impressive velocity and execution”, Page said.

Page also gave a peek into the sort of devices we could see from Motorola in the future. He hinted that the focus would be durability and ability to use the device without having to worry about them. Something that could withstand spilled drinks and drops. The other area he touched upon was battery life. Talking about that he said, “Battery life is a challenge for most people … you shouldn’t need to carry a charger around with you to make it through the day.”

All these developments build up beautifully for Google as the company readies itself for the Google I/O event slated to begin on May 15th. It is expected that much more information would be revealed about the products from Motorola during the 2-day event.