Dive Brief:

• Google is reportedly responsible for a barge that has been moored to Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay, and the city's CBS affiliate KPIX 5 reports that it may be "a floating marketing center" tied to Google Glass.
• Speculators had assessed that the structure might be a data center, but sources told the station that it will actually be something more similar to a giant Apple Store on the water.
• In the meantime, Google has run into a hurdle with the structure, since permits are required for such a project, ostensibly requiring the company to describe its purpose and justify its presence in the bay.

Dive Insight:

Apple long ago set high bar for store designs in the consumer electronics space, and just the idea that Google is building some sort of non-traditional floating retail location is enough to get imaginations wandering ahead of its Glass launch. Will it dock somewhere? Will consumers have to take ferry rides to get to it? All of these are questions that come to mind. Of course, it will have to be completed first.