Google remains 'committed' to Glass as Basecamp stores shut down

Update: A Google spokesperson told TechRadar that Google is shifting the focus of its Basecamp experience toward the online space.

"Since most of our sales and support for Glass takes place online, we're shifting our Basecamp space accordingly," the spokesperson said. "We remain committed to Glass and are busy putting feedback from Explorers into the future version."

That sure sounds a lot better than, "Nobody wants Google Glass, abort abort abort!" and it should reassure Glass users that Google isn't abandoning the project.

What form the Basecamp stores will ultimately take, though, remains unclear.

Original story follows…

The past couple of weeks have not been great for Google Glass users, and now to top it off it looks like Glass Basecamp locations in the US may be shutting down.

Google Glass Basecamps are the pop-ups in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles where Glass users could get technical support, try out different colors and accessories and more.

But according to Phandroid, these stores are no longer taking new appointments, indicating they may be shutting down.

Bad sign/good sign

The Google Glass Basecamps were likely always meant to be temporary, but with the consumer version of Glass likely pushed into 2015 it probably isn't a good sign if they're closing already.

Then again this could just be a natural part of Google's transition into the consumer Glass launch or into purely online sales on Google Play for its existing and future Glass headsets.

Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.