Google appoints new Glass chief

Technology giant Google has appointed a new head of its Glass wearable technology device division to make the product more fashionable ahead of an expected mainstream launch.

In a post on the company’s own social network, Google+, the newly appointed head of Glass, Ivy Ross, introduced herself to users for the first time.

“With your help, I look forward to answering the seemingly simple but truly audacious questions Glass poses: Can technology be something that frees us up and keeps us in the moment, rather than taking us out of it? Can it help us look up and out at the world around us, and the people who share it with us?” she said.

Ms Ross has a strong history in the fashion industry, which has led many industry experts to suggest that her appointment has been made to help Glass become more customer friendly. Until recently, the headset was only available to approved developers and other “explorers” as part of the ongoing testing programme. The company has made the device readily available to users in the US for the first time, and a full-scale retail launch is expected later in the year.

“I have spent my career – Calvin Klein, Swatch, Coach, Mattel, Bausch & Lomb, Gap and, most recently, Art.com – at the intersection of design and marketing, trying to answer questions like this in different ways, for different products,” said Ms Ross.

“But Glass is especially cool, as no one has really tried to answer them with a product like this before. That’s our job, Explorers. I’m just getting started on Glass, but, because of all of you, and your thoughtful and smart feedback, I feel like I have an incredible head start.”

Google Glass is a wearable headset that links to your smartphone and puts a small display in your peripheral vision where users can read messages, follow directions and receive news headlines. The device can be activated through speech as well as through head movement and touch control.

The device began life in Google’s X Lab, where developers are encouraged to work on “moon shot” ideas that push the boundaries of what is possible. Other items to come from the lab include a DIY smartphone called Project Ara where users can assemble the different physical features of their smartphone – camera, hard drive and battery – themselves.

The search engine creator is also currently piloting a self-driving car that has now clocked up more than 700,000 miles in testing.