The mysterious Google barges have been intriguing us for over a year, but now it appears Google is selling one of them, and nope ... they're still not telling us what they were doing on it.
Google is selling its barge in Portland, Maine, but still has another in California. The tech giant, who is usually very public about its ventures has stayed quiet on what it's been doing with the four-story-high floating structures. (Via Portland Press Herald)
Obviously, there are a lot of theories out there. When the story first broke, CNET speculated that it could be a "seafaring data center."
And New York Daily News proposed the barges could be used for some sort of learning center.
Multiple media outlets report Google would not immediately comment on plans for the barges ... again something pretty strange for the company as it is usually relatively transparent.
Case in point — its recent massive media blitz about its development of its self-driving car.
After about a month of heavy media speculation, a Google spokesperson told TechCrunch, “the barges are ‘an interactive space’ to teach people about its technology.” Yeah....that's not vague at all.
After this comment, the Los Angeles Times theorized Google could have been planning to turn the barges into exclusive showrooms for Google smart glasses, but then changed its mind after criticisms the glass is just for the wealthy.
Now, we may never know what was going on inside the Portland barge, as the Portland Press Herald says it will soon be headed to the scrap yard. A spokesperson from the city told the paper, “Bummer ... I was hoping for something to come from this. Everybody was waiting to see what was actually going on.”
The city of Portland, Maine did collect $400,000 in property taxes while it was in the harbor.
