Glass Exchange Initiated: Return Boxes Sent

The newest wave of Google Glass Explorer Edition units are set to be distributed by mail, with Google sending out word that they're fully prepared to do the switch with boxes of their own. Users that'd signed up over the last few weeks will be seeing a box sent to their residence through the mail that they'll then use to mail their original Google Glass back to the shop. From there, Google will send a pair of the newest wave of Glass to the user so that everyone can be onboard with the most current hardware.

While it's unclear what will happen to the original Glass units sent back to Google, we'll have to take a wild guess and say that they'll be sent to the spice mines of Kessel, smashed into who-knows-what. The new Google Glass units work with ever-so-slight a set of modifications to the hardware and an earbud so users will have an easier time being stealthy. Users with the old set were also given the option of changing over to a new color or sticking with the same color they had in the first place.

The change-over to a new pair of a piece of technology like this, in this sort of space, is relatively unprecedented. Google's original "Google Glass Explorers" program in itself was a new sort of deal when it first launched well over a year ago – here the company continues to prove that this is no ordinary device or launch.

Google Glass is getting nearer and nearer final launch – they've gotten to the point where just about anyone can order a device, developer or not, while the first full launch is likely to hit within the year 2014. Have a peek at our Google Glass tag portal as well as a collection of recent posts below in a recent archival timeline. For those of you that plan on switching: expect the box soon.