After a long product development timeline and over a year of beta testing, the Google Glass will finally hit the market this spring.

At least that’s what the rumor mill is saying. An article published this week by the International Digital Times has stated that the current predicted release date for Google’s first foray into wearable gadgetry is this coming April. The device will likely hit shelves with a list price of $600, though any American users who want to get the device early – and pay a $1,500 price tag – can join the waiting list for the “Google Glass Explorer” program, Google’s beta tester initiative.

While technology fiends wait for Google’s long-gestating product, however, other companies are taking advantage of the Glass and its lack of release date. The latest challenger is Samsung, which is reportedly looking to expand its smartphone specialty into the realm of smart glasses. Of course, Samsung has already taken steps to position itself as a player in the wearable technology area. Last fall, the company released the “Galaxy Gear,” a sleek smart watch device that, despite mixed reviews, was notable for handily beating major competitors like Apple, Microsoft, and Google itself to the market.

Undeterred by the lukewarm response for the Galaxy Gear, Samsung has apparently opted to keep its stake in the wearable technology industry. According to a report published this morning by the Verge, the company is currently following in Google’s footsteps and developing a “smart glasses” product. Appropriately codenamed “Galaxy Glass” – at least for the time being – Samsung’s wearable product was first sniffed out by news sources in the company’s native Korea. Rumors indicate that Samsung could be ready to unveil the product at a trade show later this year – the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, to be exact – but very little other information is currently known about the so-called Galaxy Glass.

Of course, there is no telling how much attention Samsung will generate in the marketplace if and when the company does unveil the Galaxy Glass. If Samsung is indeed looking at an autumnal unveiling, then the Google Glass will likely already be on the market. No one seems sure at this point in time how interested consumers are in wearable technology, and if Samsung fails to differentiate its product from Google’s, it could have another sales bomb on its hand, a la the Galaxy Gear. Right now, however, it seems as if the Korean company is most concerned about establishing a niche for itself in the wearable technology market.

“Wearable devices can’t generate profits immediately,” one Samsung official reportedly told the Korea Times. “Steady releases of devices are showing our firm commitment as a leader in new markets.”