Google “Glass” Headset to be Made in the United States

Google will be manufacturing its “Glass” eyewear in Silicon Valley, a move that the Financial Times hails as a “high-profile example of the return of electronics manufacturing to the U.S.” The technology giant will be working with Hon Hai Precision Industry, the Taiwanese firm better known as Foxconn, to assemble the futuristic eyewear at a facility in Santa Clara in California. Tim Bradshaw reports that only a few thousand of the devices will roll off the factory line in the coming weeks, compared with the millions of Apple products Foxconn typically cranks out in China. “Manufacturing locally will allow Google’s engineers to be closely involved with the production process and provide more opportunities for last-minute fixes and for personal customization,” Bradshaw writes. “Such moves may also blaze a trail for Silicon Valley’s resurgent community of hardware start-ups, which remain largely reliant on cheaper offshore manufacturing.”

Google announced on Wednesday that it has selected the 8,000 people who will be allowed to buy a test version of Glass.

Google announced on Wednesday that it has selected the 8,000 people who will be allowed to preorder a test version of Glass for $1,500 apiece. The company began notifying the winners on Tuesday.

[Via the Financial Times]