Whatever happened to the Google barge, you ask? Well … one of them, which Google had planned to use as a floating tech showroom, is still sitting idle at the port of Stockton, CA. But its identical twin – the one that s been moored on the East Coast – is apparently set to be scrapped.
The Press Herald of Portland, ME, reports that the massive, 250-foot barge has been sold to an unnamed barging company and the four-story structure that sits on the floating platform will be dismantled. That s the structure that looks like it was built from 63 large metal shipping containers, with a series of antennae on top.
Google has always tried to keep its plans for the barges hush-hush, and it didn t respond to a request for comment Friday. The Press Herald got its information from harbor officials in Portland.
Now the fate of the California barge is unknown. Port of Stockton executive director Richard Aschieris told us that he hasn t heard anything from Google and no work has been performed on the floating structure since it arrived.
It just sits there like it did the day it arrived, he said. Google moved the barge to Stockton in March, when Google moved the barge from San Francisco Bay after it ran into problems getting construction and permit approvals from the U.S. Coast Guard and a state environmental agency.
While Google has only said it planned for the barge to be an interactive space where people can learn about new technology, it was rumored to be a planned showroom for Google projects including Glass, the wearable computer headset.
However, Google s plans to sell Glass on a mass scale also appear to be delayed; the gadget has caught on with enthusiasts and a wide range of professionals, from surgeons to opera singers. But some consumers have balked at the awkward-looking device.
(A Stockton woman checks out the Google barge in March, in this photo by Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)
