Microsoft Glass – nay, it just doesn’t quite have the same ring as Google Glass, but if Microsoft has its way, people may soon be sporting a Microsoft/Nokia type Glass device. According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Microsoft has already been tapping some Asian suppliers for prototype components, and is already testing web-connecting eyewear, similar to Google’s Glass.
Google’s Glass is well-known to even the generally public, not just the “Glassholes,” that own and are testing the Expedition Edition. They are on the evening news and many articles have been written about Glass in the technical journals, WSJ, and other major publications. Some of the news is fascinating and the excites the senses at the possibilities of what applications Glass can be applied, yet other reports paint Glass as an invasion of privacy and they have already been banned in several places. Whatever your feelings are about wearable headgear and other devices, they are coming soon, probably sometime in 2014, and they are here to stay, so love them or leave them – I will take my prescription now, thank you very much!
A person familiar with Microsoft’s project said they has asked several Asian component makers to supply the camera and other key components for this wearable technology, although cautioned it may never reach mass production. Microsoft is keeping a close eye on this new “wearable” technology to see how real the demand is for headgear, watches, and wrist bracelets. There sources said that Microsoft is “”determined to take the lead in hardware manufacturing to make sure the company won’t miss out on the opportunities in the wearable gadget market,” yet they are simply “keeping tabs on this emerging market?”
ABI Research, a market-research firm, has predicted that by 2018 annual sales of wearable devices will reach 485 million units with over $6 billion in revenues, and yet Microsoft is keeping watch AND wants to be a leader in hardware manufacturing? I thought leaders and innovators were on the edge of developing the technology, not taking a wait and see attitude. Whatever Microsoft’s stand is in this entire situation, they are working on a wearable headgear and we should look for it sometime in 2014 – 2015.
It makes sense too because of their Nokia purchase and being known for their expertise in designing and building hardware – they were also rumored to be working on wearable devices – so by combining the two companies, we may actually see something from Microsoft in the near future. This would further help Microsoft take the next step from being thought of as a software company to producing hardware as well…perhaps the next Google?