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Google's Secret Showroom Barge Will Be Seen by Invitation Only

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Photo via <a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/10/25/secret-google-facility-found-floating-on-san-francisco-bay/?hpt=us_bn10">CBS</a>
Photo via CBS

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Google's mystery barge has been officially confirmed as a showroom for Google Glass and other Google[x] products—and will not, as some reports previously speculated, store data, according to CBS local. The project is directed by Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and access to the four-level structure (three for showrooms and the fourth for a party deck) will be by invitation only.


Video via CBS
The mobile building will be constructed out of 40-foot shipping containers, which will quickly disassemble and reassemble in various locations, allowing full mobility without major time constraints. CBS speculates the project is meant to upstage Apple's popular chain-store model. But with an exclusive door policy, we think it sounds more like a ploy to drum up a demand that exceeds the overnight lines for iPhones and iPads. And without an official comment from Google, we're still in the dark about the specifics. But it is clear that Google's timeline is delayed: building continues to be at a standstill due to federal permitting requirements.
· Google's Secret Revealed: Barge To Offer High-End Showrooms, Party Deck [CBS]
· Google Takes Mobile Retail to Sea With a Floating Glass Store [Racked SF]
· The New Google Glass Is Still Not Chic [Racked SF]