A report on Financial Times quoted people familiar with Google's plans as saying the eyewear will be made in Santa Clara, California by Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn).
"The small scale, high cost and complexity of the project’s initial run makes it practical to base manufacturing operations near the search company’s Silicon Valley headquarters, according to people briefed on the plans.
Only a few thousand Google Glass devices will roll off the Californian factory line in the coming weeks, rather than the millions of iPhones and other electronics which Foxconn typically produces at its plants in China, where the vast majority of the world’s gadgets are made," the Financial Times said.
It also said making the device in the US will allow Google engineers to make last-minute fixes, even as many of the components may be sourced from Asia.
But the report said it was not immediately clear how many people will be hired to manufacture the device, though Google offered to give 8,000 winners of a contest a chance to buy it.
Project Glass is Google's attempt at wearable computing, with a built-in camera and a display above the wearer's eye, showing various information.
Some tech and media companies such as Evernote, Path and The New York Times are reportedly creating apps that may work with the device, Financial Times said.
'Made in america'
Financial Times said Google's decision to make the device in the US may boost President Barack Obama’s bid to make sure “the next revolution in manufacturing" is "Made in America.”
This may also help the resurgence of hardware start-ups, which rely heavily on cheaper offshore manufacturing.
Available to public by yearend?
A separate report on CNET cited sources who said Google's Glass may be available to the general public by the end of 2013, "and for under $1,500."
But it said a request for comment from Google got the response that the search giant "does not comment on rumor speculation." — TJD, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com
