When we took our in-depth look at Google Glass last year, one of the potential sticking points we identified was the “sizeable price tag”. Google was charging $1,500 (£888) for the early developer model of its smartglasses but, given the technology being packed into a unique form factor, it seemed like maybe this cost was unavoidable.

However, according to a breakdown of the 16GB model on Teardown.com, the components that make up Glass cost a grand total of $79.78. The most expensive components, it seems, are the processor ($13.96), connectivity ($10.79) and non-electric elements ($13.63) – presumably the devices casing. You can see a full breakdown of the individual costs at the bottom of this post.

Teardown.com acknowledges this is only an early estimate, as it hasnt finished analysing the device, and a Google spokesman told the Wall Street Journal the $80 figure was “absolutely wrong”, but declined to provide an alternative estimate. Unless the breakdown is wildly inaccurate, however, theres clearly a huge chasm between the cost of manufacturing Glass and the price its being sold at.

The word seemed to be that, when Glass went on sale to the wider public, it would be at significantly lower price point, but a one-day sale of the devices on 15 April charged the full $1,500. Given this new information, it will be especially interesting to see whether Google continues to stick with this price when the wider launch date finally arrives.