Google Glass price, release date: Wearable flagship from the Mountain View tech giant has garnered attention and criticism since it was launched and introduced to a select set of Glass Explorers. But with an expected 2014 release date, a key make or break element for the Glass rests on its price tag.

“A new high-end smartphone without a contract runs around $600, if Google can hit a price tag under $300 it would make Glass significantly more appealing,” writes CNET’s Seth Rosenblatt.

In fact it’s very pricing could effectively make it a market leader and probably the next iPhone in the tech space. A Business Insider (BI) analyst predicts that Glass will sell 18 million units by 2018 if the device is priced at around $500.

An earlier study by Forrester Research also noted that the AR lens could be the next big thing. In their research, it revealed that up to 21 million Americans would be willing to wear the Glass daily.

Like Apple with the iPhone and iPad, the argument Google needs to make is how much of a need, whether in reality or style, does people need Glass.

“But if Google succeeds with Glass, and we'll have a much better idea of whether it will 12 months from now,” writes Rosenblatt, “it'll be because the company has been able to build a compelling device never seen before and convince people that they need it.”

It won’t be until 2014 unfolds and the year of wearable tech emerges that we can see if the Glass will really be a commercially appealing product by Google for all.