DVF | Made for Glass collection is hoping to make Glass a bit more stylish

Building on the fresh designs of the Titanium Collection, Google is announcing the "DVF | Made for Glass" eyewear collection to provide new frame styles for Glass. DVF, if you're not familiar, is iconic fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg — a great partner to have if you're looking to combine high fashion with high tech. Starting June 23rd you'll be able to pick up five new Glass frame styles and eight new shades, considerably boosting the number of options available for Glass.
The second part of this announcement is that you'll be able to pick up the new DVF Glass frames and shades from Net-A-Porter (opens in new tab), an online fashion store, on the same day as they become available from the Google Glass store. M-Porter (opens in new tab) (the men's fashion side of the site) will also begin carrying the Titanium Collection frames for Glass at the end of June as well.
Source: +Google Glass
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Andrew was an Executive Editor, U.S. at Android Central between 2012 and 2020.
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This looks interesting, but do you think this means Google wants glass to be a fashion statement, probably keeping the high price point, rather than a widespread consumer product?
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Google will definitely drop the price significantly, but I think they will retain the fashion aspect as a marketing tool. Posted via Android Central App
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Anyone that's worn glasses (like, prescription eyewear I mean) for a few years has surely come to grips with the fact that no matter what you pick you're making a bit of a fashion statement with your choice, regardless of whether you go with thick paste frames or something super minimalist. Seems only natural that Google Glass would follow suit... Whether there's low cost frame options in the future or not is another matter, but having somewhat fashionable choices is probably just as important towards mainstream acceptance. I don't know a lot about fashion btw, but DVF is pretty legendary in the fashion world. I'm surprised they went such a classy route rather than partnering with Oakley or something more common like that (nothing against Oakley btw, I've had four Oakley Rx pairs now, two eyeglasses and two sunglasses).
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This is exactly what I am thinking. But Im torn because it makes no sense. Google has always tried to bing products to the masses by offering them at a low price point. The only exceptions have been the chrombook pixel and Glass... Every day its seeming more and more likely they will go the chromebook pixel route
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Ehh, phones/tablets were their only other big foray into hardware though... Chromebooks sorta count as a second foray but they're just an extension of mobile and the netbook model, even if Chrome OS is it's own thing. Chrome OS wouldn't make any sense as a workstation OS and the jury's still out on whether it survives in the long run anyway. There's the Chromecast too, though it was preceded by more expensive stuff like Google TV and the Q, so they haven't really gone bottom up into every market, it just so happens that cheap phones/tablets and the Chromecast were the biggest hits. I don't think that means Google wants to be solely associated with cheap hardware or compete mainly on price, anyone would tell ya that's not sustainable. Given all the hurdles Glass faces, I think it totally makes sense to go top-down and cater to enthusiasts, early adopters, and whatnot first. It's an entirely new product category and usage model, phones/tablets and even the Chromecast were way more evolutionary. I think it'll be interesting to see where the Android Wear watches end up falling in this spectrum... I don't think they can afford to go top-down there and try to sell $500 "timepieces", but I also don't think they're ever gonna be a commodity everyone wants like a phone/tablet or streaming device. We'll see...
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I didt state that it didt make sense from a busies standpoint what they were dong, I only stated that it appears they will follow their chromebook pixel route which you tend to agree with. The Nexus Q never was a consumer product and Google TV doesnt count because it was a platform developed by google but hardware was never made by google, they relied on OEMs similiar to how they rely on OEMs for phones. Even in the phone space google/android was never 'cheap' until google decided to subsidize hardware costs for their nexus program. Google didnt have to do this but they did which begs the question why? One would think it is because they just wanted their platform in more hands, unless their is some other underlying reason.
So out of all the ventures Google has had in the hardware game (Phones, tablets, Chromecast, Chromebook pixel) 3/4 of their product lines were made to be cheap. Doesnt mean they will follow same suit with glass, but obviously their track record makes it seem like they would bring the price down on glass. Im not even saying it has to be cheap, but $1500 for pretty dated hardware is really pushing it. -
You make valid points all around, though Android smartphones were always cheap by comparison in that carriers were paying less for them than something like the iPhone or possibly even BBs and OEMs were were saving themselves the rather significant cost of the OS. Plus non flagship devices are definitely amongst the cheapest to manufacturer. Most of that didn't get passed along to the consumer BUT it did play a role in Google gaining market share which is ultimately one of their biggest goals. The more people using Google services the more they profit AND the better they can make said services based on the data gathered. I can see the potential return on investment in Glass being lower across board (initially anyway), possibly providing another reason to sell it upmarket. Frankly it's far too rich for my blood too, $1,500 buys a lot of computer parts, lenses, phones, Android watches, etc. :p
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Updated source: https://plus.google.com/+JacobBarlow/posts/UVfM6FTQTxb Or maybe not exactly, but at least you can see the original post.
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Glass is already a failed brand among the public. Stop trying to make it happen Google. Posted via Android Central App
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It'll happen. People aren't opposed to the idea of glass but are simply concerned for their privacy. Once that barrier is overcome, it'll be more widely accepted. Posted via Android Central App
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Well, I love DVF, so I think it's a great option. Posted via AC App on HTC One