The four mysterious barges are still being constructed

Nov 1, 2013 14:32 GMT  ·  By

More details are surfacing on the mysterious Google barges that were spotted last week. The initial speculation was that they were data centers, but later rumors argued that they were designed as Glass stores.

The latest info seems to solidify the last version. CBS's KPIX5, who first said the barges were likely Glass stores, has even more details from more sources. Apparently, the barges will serve as luxury showrooms for Google Glass and other future gadgets.

The barges will have luxury showrooms and even a party deck, and potential customers will have to be invited to get in.

The idea is to produce a space where high-end customers could be schmoozed by Google. The building is made up of several shipping containers and can be disassembled and transported to wherever the company needs.

This way, Google could take the store to where the action is, to cover major events in particular cities, or just travel around the country. It doesn't even have to be on the sea, as the containers can be transported by truck and then assembled at any location Google sees fit.

The idea for the stores, as you may have guessed, came from Google X, the company's experimental projects division.

It looks like a major investment and a lot of trouble to sell something that's expensive, but not exactly a Bentley. But if Google can position Glass as a luxury device or, at least, as a must-have gadget, by convincing a few influencers, celebrities, and so on to buy the device, it may have an easier chance of getting the masses to adopt it.

Google knows it's fighting an uphill battle with Glass, which could easily become a gimmick, a strange device that no one actually wants to wear. So far, it's been doing everything it can to avoid that fate.