Google Glass debut (2013)
Google launched a $1,500 head-mounted display in April 2013 to a select group called Explorers. The device added a camera and a small heads-up display to a glasses frame. Public reaction was hostile: wearers were called 'Glassholes' and the glasses were banned from bars, theaters, and hospitals over privacy concerns.
Google halted consumer sales in January 2015 and ended the Explorer program.
Google pivoted to an enterprise edition for warehouses and factories, then discontinued that line in 2023. The brand became shorthand for tech that ignored social acceptance.
The 2026 Android XR push is Google's first serious return to consumer smart glasses after a 13-year retreat. Meta's Ray-Ban line and Apple's Vision Pro have since reset what 'wearable computing' means.
