Google Glass: What’s up with that?
It is time to rework your holiday gift list; after two years of hype, Google announced it no longer plans on releasing Google Glass to the public in 2014.
Honestly, the future of Google Glass is looking bleak right now. All the signs suggest that people have given up on the product.
Developers are jumping ship
Earlier this month, Reuters reported that of the 16 Glass app makers they contacted, nine said that they had stopped work on their projects or abandoned them, mostly because of the lack of customers or limitations of the device. While some major developers remain, Twitter made headlines when it stopped supporting Glass in October.
Privacy concerns remain
Jeff Goldblum may have summed up the public’s feelings toward Google Glass best in the first Jurassic Park when he said, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
We have been online long enough now to see the damage it can do to us socially, financially or professionally, and a lot of people are taking a step back from technology as the concern for privacy grows. The Pew Research Center found that 55% of internet users have taken steps to avoid observation by specific people, organizations or the government and that 86% of internet users have taken steps online to remove or mask their digital footprints. People don’t like the fact that Goggle Glass wearers jeopardize the privacy they are working hard to regain.
Does Google Glass have a future?
Many still believe in the technology and are calling for Google to step down and let other brands have chance at creating mainstream high-tech eyewear. The consensus seems to be that if Google doesn’t succeed, someone else will make high-tech eyewear available.
Others are blaming Google’s marketing strategy for Glass’s bad reception. Critics believe that Google has been teasing the product for too long and has never given it the opportunity to be used by the public; thus, people are losing interest. If consumers lose interest, so do developers.
In our opinion, if we want the tech to succeed, it needs to get on the faces of consumers. We can’t predict how the public will act; we need to let people develop social rules and etiquette to protect privacy through experimentation. Just like any other tech product it will have to learn through trial and error and constantly improve itself with new generations.
Share with us your thoughts on Google Glass and wearable tech in the comment section below.
