Google Sells Glass at Exclusive Florida Golf Event

Google Glass still isn’t available to public, at least not without an invite to its Glass Explorer Program, but the company is apparently using some unique sales channels to get the word out about its much-hyped wearable computer as it preps an official release.

@kylebrussell Google Glass display at #theplayerschampionship pic.twitter.com/fssBtVegRH

— Richard Ranick (@triple_r73) May 9, 2014

Google set up a Glass stand last weekend at The Players’ Championship, Sawgrass, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., where it showed off a “Glassware app” for golfers called “GolfSight” and sold Glass to people at the event, according to BusinessInsider. The company also teased the event on its Google+ page.

I’m no golfer, and I’ve honestly never heard of the event. But it’s apparently a PGA event with a purse of $10,000,000, so it was probably safe for Google to assume it would draw some golfers with deep pockets—and goofy golf pants.  Google also reportedly threw in some sort of camera that attached to a golf club to sweeten the deal, which at $1,500 is understandably tough to swallow for many interested parties.

I’ve been writing about Glass a lot lately. I’m an Explorer, and though I honestly have trouble finding uses for the gadget, I think it’s packed with potential, particularly for organizations. Most of the people I talk to about Glass immediately complain about the price, though. It’s clear Google needs to do something about that price tag if it ever wants to sell Glass to people who aren’t wealthy golfers. Estimates suggest Glass costs between $80 and $152 to produce, so a significant cost reduction seems reasonable and imminent.

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BusinessInsider via Engadget