Google Glass

Google Glass put a tiny screen, camera, and computer on a pair of spectacles, projecting notifications and directions into the wearer’s field of view. Released to developers in 2013 for $1,500, it was meant to be the next personal-computing platform. The hardware worked, but the social cost was fatal: the head-mounted camera could record anyone at any time, getting wearers banned from bars and branded “glassholes.” Google ended the consumer Explorer program in 2015 and pivoted Glass to factories and warehouses, where hands-free displays made sense. Even that enterprise version was discontinued, with sales ending on March 15, 2023.