David Brown

Quoting here, "...we allowed and sometimes even encouraged too much attention to the program.

We did things to encourage people to think this was a finished product."

His take?

Glass just wasn't ready for prime time.

It wasn't that people didn't like glass.

As he sees it, it was that they didn't ever get to experience glass in its full glory.

Still, one question hangs over the obituaries for Glass.

Is this a death blow to wearables as a category, or a win for Google's competitors, who might be developing devices of their own?

Folks at Snapchat are about to find out.

It's November 10th, 2016.

Across the U.S., headlines are dominated by election news.

But if you're looking for a distraction and you live near Venice Beach, you can take a stroll along the boardwalk, where you'll find a single gleaming yellow vending machine that appeared overnight.

A long line is already formed in front of it.

This yellow kiosk features a single eye on the front like a camera lens that wakes up when it senses someone walking past.

It gives the entire kiosk a Minionesque look.

This is the launch of Snap's first hardware product.

Camera-enabled sunglasses it's calling Spectacles, which is fitting because this entire launch is designed for maximum spectacle.

Spectacles were first announced back in September, alongside the news that Snapchat would be rebranding as Snap Inc.

to reflect a company that includes more offerings than just its app, which seems important.

Because just one month earlier, Snap's rival, Facebook, unveiled Instagram Stories, a brazen and aggressive copycat of Snapchat's entire format.