What did the $1,500 Explorer Edition actually buy?
Google Glass reached developers in February 2013 as the Explorer Edition, at $1,500. Google's own tech specs page lists what was inside: a 640 by 360 prism display that floated above the right eye, a 5 megapixel camera that shot 720p video, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of flash storage with 12 GB usable, and a bone conduction speaker in place of an earpiece. A dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 ran all of it.
Getting one took more than money. In February 2013 Google ran a contest under the hashtag #ifihadglass, asking applicants to say in 50 words or less what they would do with the device. Roughly 8,000 people were picked, and each still had to pay the $1,500 and collect the unit in person at pop-up events in New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco.
Glass went on open sale to anyone in the United States on April 15, 2014, at the same price. A teardown by the research firm IHS that year put the bill of materials at $152.47, a gap that got quoted back at Google for years. The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum now holds an Explorer Edition in its permanent collection.
Why did one small camera cause so much trouble?
The camera sat above the display, pointing forward, and that was the whole problem. A phone held up to record is visible. A camera on a face is not.
Sergey Brin had already made the case for moving hardware up there. Talking about smartphones at TED in February 2013, Brin said "You're standing there just rubbing this featureless piece of glass," as CNN reported that month. The public agreed with the diagnosis and rejected the cure.
In March 2013, before Glass had shipped to anyone outside the contest, the 5 Point Cafe in Seattle announced a ban. Owner Dave Meinert posted that "The 5 Point is the first Seattle business to ban in advance Google Glasses," and later told reporters that part of it was a joke and part of it was serious, because the bar does not let customers film each other. Casinos, cinemas, gyms and other bars followed.
The nickname arrived fast, and Google put it in print first. Its own Glass etiquette guide, published in February 2014, told Explorers: "Don't be creepy or rude (aka, a 'Glasshole')." A company that has to write that sentence about its own product has already lost the argument.
Was the hardware good enough to survive the backlash?
No. The prism was readable indoors and washed out in daylight. Battery life collapsed under video, so Glass recorded in bursts rather than sessions. The frame warmed against the temple. Voice commands opened with the phrase "OK Glass," which meant talking to your own eyebrow in public.
The tether made the pitch awkward too. Glass had Wi-Fi and Bluetooth but no cellular radio, so it leaned on a phone in your pocket. A device sold as the end of pulling out your phone still required you to carry your phone.
Software never caught up. Google opened a Glassware catalogue, but the screen was one small card, the battery could not run anything demanding, and the paying audience was 8,000 people. Developers who did that math walked away. Set it beside Nintendo's Virtual Boy, another head-worn device shipped before its display was ready, and the shape repeats: the demo works, the second hour does not.
Is Google Glass still supported in 2026?
No. Nothing in the Glass line is sold or updated today, and Google has not announced a return of the name.
The consumer version went first. On January 15, 2015, the Glass team said it was leaving Google's X lab, writing that "we've outgrown the lab" as the project moved to its own team inside Google. The Explorer program closed that month and the $1,500 device stopped being sold.
Glass then became a work tool. Glass Enterprise Edition arrived in 2017, sold through Google's partners at roughly $1,828, aimed at warehouses, factory floors and hospitals. Glass Enterprise Edition 2 followed on May 20, 2019, at $999, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 chip, an 8 megapixel camera and USB-C charging.
That line ended as well. Google stopped selling Glass Enterprise Edition on March 15, 2023, and its support page names September 15, 2023 as the end of support. Existing headsets kept working, but no further updates came from Google. Alphabet still owns the brand and has not used it since.
What replaced Google Glass?
Two things, and neither of them is called Glass.
The first is ordinary-looking camera eyewear. Meta sells smart glasses with Ray-Ban, built on the same Luxottica relationship Google announced in January 2014 and never turned into a shipping product. The advance was design rather than silicon: glasses that read as glasses draw none of the attention that a titanium arm and a visible prism did in 2013.
The second is Google trying again under a different name. At Google I/O in May 2026, Google and Samsung showed Android XR eyewear built with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, running Gemini for live translation, navigation and notification summaries. Google's announcement splits the line in two: audio glasses that talk in your ear, arriving in the fall of 2026, and display glasses after them. Making the display optional is the exact reverse of the 2013 bet.
Glass still belongs to the small club of products that arrived with more press than purpose, next to the Segway and Google+. The difference is that this one changed how everybody else designs the category.
Where to find a Google Glass unit today
Google sells nothing in the line, so the second-hand market is the only route, and what you are buying is a display piece rather than a working computer. Support ended in September 2023 and no updates have shipped since. Explorer Edition units and their frames turn up alongside other 2010s hardware on Etsy, usually untested and listed as collectables. Ask the seller whether the unit powers on and whether the charger is included, because Glass used a proprietary connector and replacements are scarce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Google Glass still available in 2026?
No. Google stopped selling Glass Enterprise Edition on March 15, 2023 and ended support on September 15, 2023, and there is no consumer Google Glass on sale in 2026. The consumer Explorer Edition had already been withdrawn in January 2015. Only second-hand units exist, and they get no software updates.
How much did Google Glass cost?
The Google Glass Explorer Edition cost $1,500 when it reached developers in February 2013 and still cost $1,500 when it went on open sale in the United States on April 15, 2014. Glass Enterprise Edition sold through Google's partners at roughly $1,828 in 2017, and Glass Enterprise Edition 2 launched on May 20, 2019 at $999.
Why was Google Glass discontinued?
Google Glass was discontinued because the always-on camera made it socially unwelcome, with bans starting at the 5 Point Cafe in Seattle in March 2013, and because the hardware could not justify $1,500: a washed-out prism display, short battery life under video, and a thin app catalogue. Google withdrew the consumer version in January 2015, pivoted to enterprise, and ended that line in March 2023.