Eric Schmidt Says Glass Isn’t Dead, Google Just Needs Time ’To Make It Ready For Users’

Google put an abrupt end to its Glass Explorer program back in January of this year, leading some to speculate if Google was giving up on the wearable. That doesn't appear to be the case. When the Explorer program ended, Google moved Glass out of its Google X research lab and into a dedicated unit, and though the company hasn't said much since then, executive chairman Eric Schmidt says it's very much alive.

"It is a big and very fundamental platform for Google. We ended the Explorer program and the press conflated this into us canceling the whole project, which isn't true," Schmidt told The Wall Street Journal. "Google is about taking risks and there's nothing about adjusting Glass that suggests we're ending it."

Rather than end the program, Schmidt said Glass is now being overseen by Tony Fadell, head of Google's Nest connected home division. Fadell came on board when Google acquired Nest Labs for $3.2 billion just over a year ago.

It hasn't been smooth sailing for Glass. The wearable received plenty of criticism from privacy advocates due to the fact that wearers can record video and take photos on the sly. It's been banned from some movie theaters, and police have even written citations to drivers for wearing Glass while driving.

Undeterred, the last we heard about the program's future plans was that Google would release another version of Glass this year, one that will cost less and have a longer battery life, among other improvements.