Google Glass set out to change the way we interact with the world around us,
bringing technology to the forefront of our everyday activity. But the reality turned out to
be very different. Celebrities from Prince Charles all the way to Oprah Winfrey were pictured wearing
the new technology but why did it never take off amongst mainstream audiences? And what's next for Glass?
Here's how it happened.
The very first pair of smart glasses can be traced back to the 1960s
when American computer scientist Ivan Sutherland developed a gadget called the Sword of Damocles.
More of a virtual reality unit, the headset would change the display depending on where
the user was looking, which was detected using a mechanical tracking system.
Fast forward to the 21st century and Google's research and development arm, Google X,
was devising a moonshot idea designed to revolutionise how we live our lives:
Google Glass. Google co-founder. Sergey Brin, led the project
which produced a prototype in mid-2011 weighing in at eight pounds just over three and a half kilograms.
Brin then unveiled a demo in 2012 that was greatly trimmed down and showed footage
of Glass in use while skydiving, ice skating and sightseeing. The smart glasses offered several
of the same benefits as a smartphone like making calls, checking social media and taking photos and videos
but incorporated all these features into a hands-free system permanently located in the
top right corner of the wearer's field of vision. After first making Glass available only to VIP's
the product went on general sale in 2013 and consumers were encouraged to tweet with the
hashtag #IfIHadGlass. Time magazine even named it as one of their products of the year so where did
it all go wrong for Google Glass?
The truth is that consumers weren't willing to pay for a device that
didn't go above and beyond what they already had. At a retail price of fifteen hundred dollars, users
preferred the idea of delving into their pocket to retrieve their smartphone where they have access
to a much faster device with a better camera and more detailed screen.
Glass' most desirable features, GPS tracking and video recording,
were a real drain on the battery, which only lasted around three hours when these features were in use.
This was a product that simply wasn't ready for the mass market
and that Brin himself even described as a prototype with major kinks to be worked out.
There were also major safety and security concerns surrounding the release of Glass.
The general public weren't used to seeing such a device fitted with a camera pointed at them constantly.
Several bars and restaurants across the United States resorted to completely banning
Glass on their premises. Even between friends, it wasn't considered socially acceptable and
often referred to as 'creepy'. Some governments also described them as a threat to road safety with the
UK's Department for Transport viewing Glass as a distraction from the driver's full attention
resulting in the products being banned while behind the wheel within the country.
And one of the simplest but most important reasons for Glass' failure in the mass market was the
fact that it didn't look very cool. A clunky pair of glasses with a camera attached were the envy
of nobody and in a slightly desperate attempt to look cool, Google Glass even appeared at New York
fashion week in both 2012 and 2013. Adopters of the technology became known as Glassholes across
social media and with Glass' reputation beginning to sink, the product was discontinued in 2015.
But some industries have succeeded in finding a use for Google's invention. 2017 saw the release of
the Glass Enterprise Edition aimed at businesses seeking to make their employees more efficient.
Global giants like Volkswagen, DHL and Boeing have seen noticeable leaps in efficiency thanks to the
reconfigured product which boasts a more powerful processor, an upgraded camera and significantly
longer battery life compared to its predecessor. Google discovered that it was engineers as well
as factory and logistics workers who needed real-time information while using both hands
that could benefit the most from their technology. An even more powerful device was released in 2019
for around a thousand dollars to similar success, with industry professionals. General Electric even
reported a 46% decrease in production time at its warehouses that have been using the latest edition.
So it seems that while the original version of Google Glass may have fallen flat, the positive
impact made by its successor could see it on our streets sooner than you think.
And that's how it happened.
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