The first version of Google Glass, a wearable computer announced by Google last week, went up for sale on eBay. There was only one problem: it was very likely a fake.
The first version of Google Glass, a wearable computer announced by Google last week, went up for sale on eBay. There was only one problem: it was very likely a fake.
Google said Glass would retail for around $1,500, but the phony eBay Google Glass was already fetching bids of $15,500 before it was shut down.
In the eBay post, the seller said he was selected by the company as an “early adapter,” meaning he would be among the fist to receive the new product.
Even before the auction was pulled, PCMag.com pointed out that the offer might be a little too good to be true: “while the seller has good ratings and reviews on eBay dating as far back as 2009, that data point doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the auction will put Glass in the winner bidder’s hands.”
The post disappeared Wednesday morning. (The Atlantic Wire has screen shots.)
While this post looks like it was a fake, Google is holding a real contest to choose 8,000 U.S. citizens to get its first models of Google Glass before the general public. “We’re still in the early stages, and while we can’t promise everything will be perfect, we can promise it will be exciting,” says the contest website.
The contest to be one of the first Glass users, or an “Explorer” as Google calls them, closes Wednesday.
Winning the contest come at a cost. Winners will still have to pay the $1,500 Google Glass retail cost.