In fact, according to "an extremely reliable source" who dished to 9to5 Google, the idea for the stand-alone stores bubbled up as part of Google's plans to offer Google Glass to the public. So far the only people who've gotten to wear them are Google execs such as Sergey Brin, who occasionally pops up in public sporting them, or programmers who've shelled out $1,500 for the developer version with which to create apps for the device.
While technophiles might drool at the idea of augmented reality glasses controlled by voice and other inputs to do things commonly handled by smartphones, the average consumer might wonder why you need glasses to do things such as schedule meetings, take pictures, check the weather, get directions, and place a video call. Not only that, the head mounted display will probably run anywhere from $500 to $1,000, so letting people experience how cool they are is probably a good bet on Google's part.
Google recently posted photos on Google+ from the two Google Glass hackathons it recently held with a small group of developers in New York and San Francisco. During the two-day events, "the selected Glass Explorers" came up with more than 80 new ways to use Glass, although Google isn't saying what they are.
More information about Google Glass will likely shake out of SXSW next month in Austin, Texas --Google is telling developers who want to build for the platform to attend a March 11 session held by Google senior developer advocate Timothy Jordan.
In the meantime, look for those Google stores to be popping up.
