Google Glass project to be overseen by ex-Apple executive

Google will no longer sell a prototype of its Glass computerised eyewear for consumers, as the web company moves the project out of the research lab and makes it a stand-alone entity. Glass, the digital spectacles that people can wear to see maps and other information, is being moved under the leadership of Tony Fadell, who heads digital thermostat maker Nest Labs, the company said. Until now, Glass had operated under the aegis of Google X, the Mountain View, California-based lab that has hatched self-driving cars and other products.

As part of the change, Google is phasing out a program called Explorer that made Glass available to consumers as of January 19. The company said it’s working on a new Glass product and will continue to invest in a business-focused program for the eyewear.

“We’ve outgrown the lab and so we’re officially ‘graduating’ from Google X to be our own team here at Google,” the company said. Fadell joined Google last February after the search giant purchased Nest for $3.2 billion. Fadell was previously an executive at Apple, who helped develop products including the iPod.