MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 22 (UPI) -- Google head Eric Schmidt says Google Glass, the wearable computer with display, is at least a year away and will require new social etiquette when it arrives.
In an interview with the BBC, Schmidt said although developers had been given the devices, a release of a consumer version was not imminent.
"It's fair to say that thousands of these will be in use by developers over the next months, and then based on their feedback we will make some product changes, and it's probably a year-ish away," he said.
Responding to rumors of a $1,500 price tag, Google Chief Executive Officer Larry Page, in a first-quarter earnings call last week, said: "The price tag was set for developers for early test. We don't have news to announce there. I'm not sure I would call it a luxury price, but it's a pretty high price."
Schmidt was asked about how Google Glass and other similar wearable devices that can take photos and capture video might impact social norms and privacy.
"The fact of the matter is we'll have to develop some new social etiquette. It's obviously not appropriate to wear these glasses in situations where recording is not correct, and indeed you have this problem already with phones," Schmidt said.
"Companies like Google have a very important responsibility to keep your information safe. You have responsibility as well to understand what you are doing and how you are doing it and obey appropriately and also keep everything up to date."
In March, a Seattle bar announced it would not allow Google Glass in the establishment, CNET reported.
In response, a Google spokesperson said, "It is still very early days for Glass, and we expect that as with other new technologies, such as cellphones, behaviors and social norms will develop over time."
