Google Glass Could Go Ultra Cool with Oakley, Ray-Ban Designs
Google’s (GOOG) Glass eyewear technology could sport ultra-cool Oakley and Ray Ban designs to stretch its appeal to a larger portion of the 110 million eyeglass wearers in the United States, based on a new deal the company just landed with Italian eyewear maker Luxottica.
Google’s (GOOG) Glass eyewear technology could sport ultra-cool Oakley and Ray Ban designs to stretch its appeal to a larger portion of the 110 million eyeglass wearers in the United States, based on a new deal with Italian eyewear maker Luxottica.
Under terms of the agreement, Luxottica, which owns Oakley and Ray Ban, among other brands, will help design, manufacture and distribute frames for Glass, collaborating with Google to craft frames tailored to the technology.
The deal marks the second instance in which the eyewear industry has given a nod to the potential of Glass to attract widespread consumer interest. Earlier this year, VSP Global, a vision care provider, agreed to offer prescription lenses, subsidized frames and training on the device for some 30,000 eye doctors in its network.
Google’s deals with VSP and Luxottica could blunt the impression that Glass is a niche product only for techies and that it’s fundamentally a business product.
Luxottica maintains some 5,000 retail stores in the United States, including LensCrafters and Sunglass Hut, and plans to peddle Glass through its outlets and opticians. Google will continue to sell the wearable computers online for $1,500 to early adopters through its Explorer program. For now, the Luxottica deal is confined to the U.S. market.
At this point, there’s no word on when Oakley- or Ray Ban-framed Google Glass devices will show up on the market or how much they’ll cost consumers. Luxottica’s brand portfolio also includes Vogue-Eyewear, Persol, Oliver Peoples, Alain Mikli and Arnette.
“Luxottica understands how to build, distribute and sell great products that their clients and consumers love—something we care deeply about at Glass, too,” according to a Google post on its Glass website. “They’ll bring design and manufacturing expertise to the mix, and, together, we’ll bring even more Glass style choices to our Explorers. In addition, Luxottica’s retail and wholesale distribution channels will serve us well when we make Glass available to more people down the road.”
