If you’ve been holding off on purchasing Google Glass you may have waited too long, you don’t have much time left. Google announced plans Thursday to stop selling the product to consumers on January 19 as it prepares for big changes to its wearable-computing project, including new leadership. 

Google announced today that it is moving Glass from the Google X research lab to a stand-alone unit while the company determines the best way to expand the product into the hardware arena.

The new stand-alone unit will report to Tony Fadell, who heads the Nest Labs, the smart-home device company Google acquired last February.

As part of the company’s changes to the division, it will stop selling its initial version of Glass to individuals through its Explorer program after January 19. However, Google will continue to sell the device to companies and developers for work applications.

The company says it has plans to release a new version of Glass sometime this year, but has yet to provide specifics on a date or the new device’s capabilities.

The WSJ reports that the latest changes to Google Glass signify a new strategy that will move away from using large, public tests of hardware prototypes in favor of keeping gadgets secret until they are fully finished products.

Google Glass was first offered to consumers who applied for the $1,500 Explorer Program in April 2013. About a year later it went on sale to the general public.

Sales of the gadget have been relatively small, thanks in part to privacy complaints, technical shortcomings and a lack of obvious uses, the WSJ reports.

Additionally, a number of businesses have either banned or strongly suggested the patrons not use the devices.

Google Makes Changes to Its Glass Project [The Wall Street Journal]

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