Google has just sent out some Glass invitations. This means that Google's Glass is one step closer to being on a store shelf near you very soon. In order to get a Google Glass invite, you have to know someone that was part of the Glass Explorer program (someone that got in on Glass early).

These people have received an open invitation today that lets them send out additional invites to friends and family members.

Want to get your hands on Glass? There are a few catches to the new invites. Take a look.

Glass Is Restricted To...

People that are over the age of 18
Residents of the USA
People that can pick up a pair of Google glasses in NYC, San Francisco, or Los Angeles.
People that have really cool friends...that can hand out Glass invites.

This isn't the first time that Google has made a device or program invite-only. Way back in 2004, Gmail was available through invite only. In order to get a Gmail account, you had to have an invite from a friend that already used the email service. Google stopped the invite only exclusivity when Gmail became available to people everywhere. There's a good chance that the same thing will happen where Glass is concerned.

Most Things Stay the Same

If you're wondering whether or not Google will lower the Glass price now that the spectacles are invite-only, the answer is "no." Google Glass will still retail for that $1500 price tag. Will Google sell Glass at a lower price once the device is ready for mass market? There were some rumors a few months back that Google does plan to make Glass cheaper for everyone, eventually. However, this hasn't happened yet, and Google hasn't sent out any word about whether or not Glass will be cheaper soon.

Google was the first company to create a device like Glass, but it's not the only company working on glasses of this sort. As it turns out, there are some other companies (like GlassUp) that have just created crowdfunding campaigns hoping to cash in on the glass craze. The selling point for these companies is that they offer glass-like devices at a fraction of the price (GlassUp sells glasses for around $400).

Additional Glass News

If you do happen to get a Glass invite from a friend, it might be fun to give the glasses a spin - if you have money to burn, that is. Google created an elite market by developing a device as costly as Glass is. However, that market is loving every moment of Glass-wearing fun. It doesn't seem likely that many people will purchase Google Glass if that price doesn't drop a bit.

Google has made a statement that the invite-only emails were sent to just a few people, so there's a slim chance that you might see one of these emails in your inbox. If you do get an email from Google, share the love. Exclusivity is silly, and lots of people would love to test out Glass!