Google has been working with a large test group that keeps getting larger as they beta test their Google Glass. They keep perfecting it a little more with each update and even have a few highbrow eyeglass designers on board – all the pieces are falling into place for an exciting 2015 launch. Some experts are saying that Google is taking too long to launch Glass and by the time they finally do offer it to the general public, all of the excitement will have worn off and Glass could be a real dud. I predict that as long as Google prices them in the $350 – $500 range, they will sell as many as they can produce…what do you think?
At first, Google was focusing their efforts on the consumer rather than on the enterprise world as a tool for business. About a year after Glass first was introduced, the project Glass team brought in Eric Johnsen to lead a new effort called Glass At Work to try to investigate Glass in the workplace. At the time this was going on, Glass was being attacked by privacy groups and has already been banned in several places – movie theaters, bathrooms, changing rooms, strip clubs, etc. Was the public turning against the ‘Glassholes’ and making fun of those wearing the contraption and always worried that they are being watched.
Would the business community also hold this attitude? Tom Rikert, a former Google employee and now a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, which invested in Wearable Intelligence and is part of the Glass Collective that offers seed funding to Glass-related startups said:
“For people who already wear hardhats to work or safety goggles and utility belts, wearing Google Glass or some new smart type of display, that makes them a badass. That’s a badge of honor. That is in such stark contrast to the consumer who is accused of being a dork or socially it violates these norms of privacy or eye contact. That’s why I’m really bullish on enterprise. People want to stand out of the crowd.”
Many think it will be like the next ‘BlackBerry’ – a smartphone that started out as a business only device that was quickly adopted by the public. Glass should be able to make the work environment much more efficient by delivering accurate information in real-time. Watch the video below and see how one company has used Google Glass to help run their business – for instance, there is no classroom training that can adequately prepare you for real world situations. With workers wearing Glass out in the field, managers at headquarters can see what they are doing and walk them through their assigment, step-by-step.
With Google Glass gaining acceptance in the business world, you know workers will want to start bringing them home and using them for non-business activities. As more people use Glass, the outside world and consumers will accept the device. I think that will be a moot point as I believe they will gain acceptance in both the business and consumer world, although they will have more serious responsibilities in the business world and be more an information tool in the consumer world.
Please hook up with us on our Google+ Page and let us know if you are going to be an early Glass adopter or wait a year or two before you give them a ‘look.’ As always, we would love to hear from you.