Google is discontinuing Google Glass in its current form, and the future of the tech altogether isn’t looking bright, with it appearing to be choking on its dying breaths.
The Explorer program, which saw Google selling the Glass to developers for $1500, has now been brought to a halt by the tech giant, though the company still insists that “research” is being put into future models of the wearable device. However, given that no information has been released in regards to when we’ll receive further news regarding Google Glass 2.0 has been released, I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that the Glass is done. It’s over. No one wants it, the target audience is too small and Google should simply mark it down as a failed experiment.
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According to Google, former Apple designer Tony Fadell will now be working alongside the Glass’ current manager Ivy Ross, though given the negative response to the first incarnation of Glass it is very likely that should we ever see the tech make its way to another device, it’ll potentially be rebranded completely.
Technology in the 21st century is about fitting in, not standing out.
The key issue with Glass was that it was attempting to break into a market no one was really asking for, and that the device had been mocked so extensively during its reveal that it was never going to manage to break the mainstream market. This, coupled with its high price point, would have made it a risky purchase for consumers if it would have made it to a retail release.
To put it bluntly, technology in the 21st century is about fitting in, not standing out. Google Glass made its users stand out like a sore thumb, and the only way it was ever going to take off was if by some miracle it managed to catch on despite the bad publicity, the news stories about it being banned from restaurants/theaters and the general public opinion that anyone wearing the Glass was a bit of a twat.
We may see the Glass make a return in the future in some capacity, but it’s safe to say that its first incarnation was an unequivocal failure. Now Google will go back to the drawing board in order to see if there’s any way we’ll ever think that wearing $1500 worth of technology on our face is a good idea that won’t result in us being viciously assaulted and robbed.
