Certain statements by Robert Scoble, one of the Explorers, meaning one of the participants in Google’s limited program which gave the opportunity to buy the first version of the Google Glass, made people talk again of this product. According to Scoble, at least for this year they will be a success.
Robert Scoble has been using for months the Explorer Edition of Google Glass, a prototype that has various limitations and cost to the users selected by Google $1500. The price is one of the problems mentioned by Scoble: the new version that during 2014 will be made available to the public cost much less but initially not below $500.
The price is too high for Google Glass to be adopted quickly. According to Robert Scoble, they will succeed when they cost less than $300 and will have been perfected. His opinion is that they’ll be really ready to have a large market in 2016.
Robert Scoble also mentioned excessive expectations, difficulties in buying them, lack of applications and certain technical problems. For example, the Facebook support is clearly inadequate and this is unacceptable to many potential users. For these reasons, it will take time for Google Glass to be really ready to be used every day by ordinary users.
The predictions made by Robert Scoble are close to others, for example those made by Business Insidr. However, it’s clear that Google isn’t rushing the marketing of Google Glass, so much that the company didn’t disclose a release date of the version to be put on the market for the general public nor their price.
In the meantime, news keep on coming about new applications for Google Glass but also eyeglass frames are compatible with them. The first announcement of this type of product comes from Rochester Optical, which will soon offer various types of frames with prescription lenses compatible with Google Glass for as low as $99.
In the course of 2013 also came the first announcements of alternative products to Google Glass. There are for example the model Vuzix M100, the Laforge Optical Icis, the Optinvent ORA-S and the MetaPro. Especially in the beginning it will be difficult to compare the features of different models but surely more and more reviews of new products of this type will be published. If 2014 won’t be a good year for augmented reality glasses, it’s likely that it will be one of the next ones.
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Hi Massimo,
Google Glass is a great piece of technology but I think that during 2014 there isn’t an abundant level of support for useful elements of it. It is going to take a few years of experimentation and development from third parties to fully realize what Google are looking to create. It is very promising though and Microsoft have also leaped onto the bandwagon. We can probably expect Samsung, LG, Sony and the other large manufacturers to jump in on this bandwagon which will inevitably help shape a better product in the future.
It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out!!
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The reaction of other big companies to the availability of other augmented reality devices will surely be an important element to see the future of Google Glass.