Following the “one day only” offering of Google Glass a little over a month ago, Google has made the $1500 eyewear available to order again. This time though there is no 24hr deadline. Google states that Glass is still very much in beta, but that they want to open the experience up to a larger group of people. Perhaps the company is trying to gauge what the total interest in the device when not limited to one day of sales. Another scenario is that Google is trying to clear inventory to introduce a more design-complete model. The controversial device returns on sale as analysts have begun to release cost-to-build numbers.
According to a post this week on the Wall Street Journal blog, teardowns of the $1500 Glass reveal component costs of between $79.78 and $152. Obviously the greatest expense of Google Glass is non-tangible costs, such as engineering and tooling. But a 90%+ margin still seems pretty hefty. Google’s only comment on the matter is that the component cost estimates are “wildly off.”
