14 DAY TRIAL // A few days ago, Google announced that it was starting to send invitations to the people who expressed their desire to own a pair of Google Glass. The company ran a competition of sorts, to discover the first people to be allowed to buy the device.
The idea was to give the devices to those who would make the most of them, early adopters and pioneers, from whom Google would learn more about how Glass is likely to be used in everyday life and who would work as ambassadors for the technology.
But it looks like the vetting process hasn't been as thorough as it should have. Google has now revealed that some applications, which were initially approved, don't comply with the terms of the competition and the program.
That may mean anything from the fact that some of those chosen aren't actually from the US to trolls making fun of the device by hijacking the #ifihadglass hashtag, which is how people expressed their desire to enter the competition.
"With #ifihadglass we set out to find a truly diverse group of Explorers, and that’s certainly what we've gotten. We need honest feedback from people who are not only enthralled and excited by Glass, but also people who are skeptical and critical of it," Google explained.
"That said, it’s become clear that a few applications that don't comply with our terms have slipped through the cracks, and we're going to have to disqualify applications like these. As for the rest of you, please keep that feedback coming -- it’s all in the Explorer program spirit!," it added.
Google has only revealed a couple of the people who were disqualified and the entries certainly don't meet the criteria put forward by the company. One tweeted "#IfIHadGlass, I'd throw it at your face. ._." and the other is, well, worse.
This begs the question of how these people got selected in the first place, the tweets are obviously offensive. The competition was supposed to be about finding the absolute perfect people to test Google Glass with.