Is the only thing holding you back from entering the world of Glass the fact that you can’t decide which colour best brings out your eyes? Worry no more. Google’s fixed the problem by sending potential Explorers all four colours of Glass’ Titanium Collection. And because this is just about about how great(?) you’ll look in Glass, those test units are entirely, 100 per cent non-functional.
According to Reddit user clide, the Glass try-on program (which Google tells us is now temporarily closed) was initially offered to interested parties who had yet to bite the $US1500 bullet. After calling up Google and agreeing to a $US50 hold on their credit cards, potential Explorers could look forward to an at-home try-on kit with all four styles and colours in Glass’ Titanium Collection. Sounds like an unbelievable deal except for the fact that these are non-functioning Glass props. In fact, all the models’ USB ports are thoroughly destroyed before being sent out, so there’s no chance of getting them back to life.
After calling up Google to try and enroll in the program ourselves, we were able to confirm that these are in fact models that have been returned for one reason or another. Our Glass representative, however, was unable to tell us what happens to the units between being returned and finding new life as props — specifically whether Google itself is administering the killing USB port blows — as he was “not privy to that information.” Judging from the above photo, it certainly seems like there is some intentional USB-ravaging going on. So is Google really (further) breaking its own units in an attempt to win over Glass customers by sheer aesthetic appeal? It seems possible, maybe even likely.
Granted, the concept of at-home Glass try-ons isn’t totally illogical. There Glass now offers a choice of frames, and trying something on is obviously the best way to see what works for you. But we feel pretty confident that the people who have made up their minds to buy Glass aren’t basing their decision on whether or not the like what they’re seeing in the mirror. If Google actually is breaking models in hopes of seducing customers with a taste of how good(?) they will look with Glass, that seems pretty absurd.
Unfortunately, due to sudden popularity, the program has temporarily closed. But Google tells us it’s considering opening the program back up, perhaps even sometime soon. In which case, let us take a moment of silence for the innocent USB ports that have lost their lives in the name of fashion. Their deaths were probably in vain. [9to5Google via Daily Dot]