Google Glass became an internet phenomenon in 2012, when Google uploaded a 2 minute video showing the future of augmented reality, filled with Google services.

The real thing didn't pan out quite so well, the Explorer Edition was expensive ($1,500), buggy and went from an intriguing device to an outright disturbing device to wear in public.

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This could have been avoided, if Google decided to work on the device in-house rather than launch the developer version. According to insider sources speaking to The New York Times, this happened due to co-founder Sergey Brin wanting outsider feedback.

There was already a conflict of interest brewing before Brin became embezzled in the Google X Labs team, some engineers wanted a device users would wear all day; others wanted to make a device for certain tasks.

The lack of a core vision lead the team down a weird spiral in development, not knowing the exact functionality of the device, or why someone would choose augmented reality over a smartphone or wearable.

After over a year in the developer stage, Google has pulled the Explorer Edition from the online store, leaving over 2,000 buyers without any knowledge on the future of Glass.

It has reportedly been handed off to Nest Labs, the newly acquired unit headed by ex-iPod engineer Tony Fadell. Nest have made strides in the smart home market, and might look to Google Glass as the ultimate notification and information gathering device.

Having Nest Labs work on the device would give the product a core vision as well, considering Fadell's unit operates outside of the normal Google team parameters, and Fadell reports directly to the CEO Larry Page.

However, the product might not become anything, considering it has been handed off without any realization on what the market wants from augmented reality.

If Nest can somehow make Google Glass accessible, useful and not creepy for the average consumer, it will be a spectacular achievement, but otherwise it might as well be relegated to enterprise markets like healthcare, where real improvements can happen through POV.

TagsGoogle Glass, nest labs, Sergey Brin