Google ends its Google Glass Explorers program

Google Glass is entering a chrysalis phase.

After nearly two years of face time with and feedback from early adopters, Google is ending its Glass Explorers program and moving development from the research lab to a standalone division within the company.

In a statement Thursday, Google said, "As we look to the road ahead, we realize that we've outgrown the lab and so we're officially 'graduating' from Google[x] to be our own team here at Google. We're thrilled to be moving even more from concept to reality."

The new team will be led by current Glass head Ivy Ross, who will report to Tony Fadell, founder of Nest Labs, the smart home company Google bought a year ago for $3.2 billion.

Though Google will continue supporting business and content development through its Glass at Work program, there won't be any new sightings of Glass in the wild as far as the general public is concerned.

If anyone is still interested in looking.

There was plenty of fanfare and positive outlook after Google Glass was released to consumers in the spring of 2013, but excitement has waned notably. And now, Google is figuring out "what's coming next."

The last day Glass will be available for purchase through Explorers will be Jan. 19. Google has not released a timeline for launching a new version of the product. We'll just have to wait and see what emerges.