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While the fact that they are apparently building structures in several places is interesting, I find the notion that they will be "used to market google glass"

by kposehn 13y ago

While the fact that they are apparently building structures in several places is interesting, I find the notion that they will be "used to market google glass" rather odd.

Synthetase 13y ago
Building a marketing center out on a barge makes no sense.
- samstave 13y ago
  Its a ploy to promote self-driving boats!
- notatoad 13y ago
  not only does it seem strange to make a marketing center on a barge, but it's absolutely huge. at a conservative rough count, it's about 8 8-foot-wide shipping containers wide, and about 6 20-foot-long shipping containers long. and four storeys high. that's 30000 square feet. for a showroom.
  - mikeyouse 13y ago
    Just for a frame of reference, the Grand Central Terminal Apple store is 23,000 square-feet. Their proposed store in Union Square (SF) will occupy about 25,000 square-feet, with two levels and 1/3 of the building "behind the scenes", call 30,000 square feet total. Not unheard of.
  - lnanek2 13y ago
    I agree, data center seems more likely, but there are strong hints already that Google Glass sales will need extra space. Google has been having fitting events so far with large areas of buildings dedicated to it and they are only servicing small batches of testers and conference goers so far. You can Google the Google Glass pickup experience and see pictures of the Chelsea office area and MV area, etc., people bragging about the champagne, ice cream, valet parking, etc.. As someone who has worked for smartphone OEMs, it is entirely possible a reduced return rate would be worth having extensive pickup experience options like this. Return rate was a huge consideration. If you have a high return rate, carriers won't even carry your device in their stores. Similarly, Samsung is having a big issue with Galaxy Gear watch returns right now.
  - rz2k 13y ago
    It might make more sense if compared to the size of the Exploratorium rather than something like a showroom, and the visible, water location could be important if people are otherwise likely to ignore a large warehouse showcasing a technology which they think is a waste of time to even think about.
- AsymetricCom 13y ago
  Except if you guess that the marketing center is virtualized and exists everywhere a Google Glass device does, requires lots of bandwidth, thus access to coastal fiber gateways. Considering the potential power of a centralized augmented-reality system with probably the most mature total information awareness system ever built as a decentralized back-end, putting them on floating barges with potential access to international waters makes lots of sense.
nlh 13y ago
Agreed. The CNET investigation seemed to have some pretty solid (or, at least, convincing) evidence that these are floating data centers or something similar to that. My sense is that a floating marketing center would be VERY different than a floating data center. Then again, maybe it's part of the marketing effort? I could see them building a "mock" data center or something like that -- "Step into a Google data center and learn how we'll be powering Glass for the whole world"...
- seniorsassycat 13y ago
  Have they built floating data centers before? It seems unlikely for them to test a new technology by building multiple prototypes at once. Would floating data centers allow them to avoid laws by operating out of international waters?
  - dsl 13y ago
    The whole "international waters" thing isn't as much of a right, as it is a liability. Think of it like traveling internationally, you are far less protected by your home country, and you don't gain any magical new protections. At sea you are always subject to the laws of the countries flag you are flying, and sometimes the laws of the port you are arriving at or departing from. If you upset a specific country, you are dependent on their respect for your flagged country to not board and seize your vessel. The US Coast Guard for example claims the right to board anything in the Pacific or Atlantic if they suspect it of being used in the commission of a crime. Good luck getting Panama or The Marshall Islands to come defend you. In Google's case they would also be subject to laws wherever the fiber or satellite connection they are using makes landfall.
- bpicolo 13y ago
  I wouldn't call a 2009 patent filing "solid evidence". It's just one thing that suggests it might be the case.
peterwwillis 13y ago
You mean it doesn't make sense to spend $10 million just on a building to house marketing for a new product in one city on a platform at sea? But KPIX 5 is the CBS News leader for San Francisco! Surely they couldn't be misinformed.
- chubot 13y ago
  It also doesn't make any sense that the other city would be Portland Maine! (i.e. where a similar container was spotted)

by kposehn 13y ago

While the fact that they are apparently building structures in several places is interesting, I find the notion that they will be "used to market google glass" rather odd.

Synthetase 13y ago

Building a marketing center out on a barge makes no sense.

samstave 13y ago
Its a ploy to promote self-driving boats!
notatoad 13y ago
not only does it seem strange to make a marketing center on a barge, but it's absolutely huge. at a conservative rough count, it's about 8 8-foot-wide shipping containers wide, and about 6 20-foot-long shipping containers long. and four storeys high. that's 30000 square feet. for a showroom.
- mikeyouse 13y ago
  Just for a frame of reference, the Grand Central Terminal Apple store is 23,000 square-feet. Their proposed store in Union Square (SF) will occupy about 25,000 square-feet, with two levels and 1/3 of the building "behind the scenes", call 30,000 square feet total. Not unheard of.
- lnanek2 13y ago
  I agree, data center seems more likely, but there are strong hints already that Google Glass sales will need extra space. Google has been having fitting events so far with large areas of buildings dedicated to it and they are only servicing small batches of testers and conference goers so far. You can Google the Google Glass pickup experience and see pictures of the Chelsea office area and MV area, etc., people bragging about the champagne, ice cream, valet parking, etc.. As someone who has worked for smartphone OEMs, it is entirely possible a reduced return rate would be worth having extensive pickup experience options like this. Return rate was a huge consideration. If you have a high return rate, carriers won't even carry your device in their stores. Similarly, Samsung is having a big issue with Galaxy Gear watch returns right now.
- rz2k 13y ago
  It might make more sense if compared to the size of the Exploratorium rather than something like a showroom, and the visible, water location could be important if people are otherwise likely to ignore a large warehouse showcasing a technology which they think is a waste of time to even think about.
AsymetricCom 13y ago
Except if you guess that the marketing center is virtualized and exists everywhere a Google Glass device does, requires lots of bandwidth, thus access to coastal fiber gateways. Considering the potential power of a centralized augmented-reality system with probably the most mature total information awareness system ever built as a decentralized back-end, putting them on floating barges with potential access to international waters makes lots of sense.

nlh 13y ago

Agreed. The CNET investigation seemed to have some pretty solid (or, at least, convincing) evidence that these are floating data centers or something similar to that. My sense is that a floating marketing center would be VERY different than a floating data center. Then again, maybe it's part of the marketing effort? I could see them building a "mock" data center or something like that -- "Step into a Google data center and learn how we'll be powering Glass for the whole world"...

seniorsassycat 13y ago
Have they built floating data centers before? It seems unlikely for them to test a new technology by building multiple prototypes at once. Would floating data centers allow them to avoid laws by operating out of international waters?
- dsl 13y ago
  The whole "international waters" thing isn't as much of a right, as it is a liability. Think of it like traveling internationally, you are far less protected by your home country, and you don't gain any magical new protections. At sea you are always subject to the laws of the countries flag you are flying, and sometimes the laws of the port you are arriving at or departing from. If you upset a specific country, you are dependent on their respect for your flagged country to not board and seize your vessel. The US Coast Guard for example claims the right to board anything in the Pacific or Atlantic if they suspect it of being used in the commission of a crime. Good luck getting Panama or The Marshall Islands to come defend you. In Google's case they would also be subject to laws wherever the fiber or satellite connection they are using makes landfall.
bpicolo 13y ago
I wouldn't call a 2009 patent filing "solid evidence". It's just one thing that suggests it might be the case.

peterwwillis 13y ago

You mean it doesn't make sense to spend $10 million just on a building to house marketing for a new product in one city on a platform at sea? But KPIX 5 is the CBS News leader for San Francisco! Surely they couldn't be misinformed.

chubot 13y ago
It also doesn't make any sense that the other city would be Portland Maine! (i.e. where a similar container was spotted)