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Google Glasses: Who is actually going to wear them?
April 20, 2012 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
The video recently released by Google featuring "Project Glass," Android-powered eyeglasses with a real-life, heads-up display, has received nearly 14 million views on Youtube. There's no doubt people are interested in the eyeglasses that are supposed allow wearers to talk, text, check in to stores, receive coupons based on location, map routes and take and then share photos on social media — all by giving the commands aloud. Instead of seeing the icons on a mobile phone, the users see them, virtually, in front of their faces.
Google isn't saying when the glasses will launch, exactly how they work or how much they'll cost, but that's not stopping the media from speculating. Tons of blogs and stories featuring predictions about the glasses are already up. (Click here to read our take on how they may affect retailers.) Although I don't see the technology as far-fetched, I do have one question: Who will wear them?
Even if the naysayers are wrong and the technology is solid, Google will have to find a way to get the average consumer to wear the glasses. The company has released photos and videos of attractive models wearing them, but they're still a bit geeky. And I'm not the only person who shares this opinion.
"The geek factor may damper the mass appeal, but weigh that against the use of something like blue tooth," said Tom Nawara, VP of emerging solutions and innovation at Acquity Group, a digital marketing firm. "There used to be stigma there, and people got past it."
I don't know; I still think those headsets are nerdy, but fashion isn't the only problem with their wearability. What about having all that "stuff" floating in your line of sight? It could be distracting or even annoying to some consumers.
Nawara, who speculated that it would take at least a year for the glasses to be available, doesn't think the distraction issue will be much of a problem for consumer adoption. Just look at how people once thought talking on their phones while driving and walking was distracting. They either got used to it or pulled over to talk; they didn't abandon the behavior. The same is true with texting; despite a lot of legislation banning texing while driving, the laws have not been a barrier to mass adoption of texting as a popular form of communication. Nawara expects that Google Glasses could follow the same pattern.
"Humans as a species have evolved and have adapted to more and more sensory input," Nawara said. "Just 20 or 30 years ago no one had cell phone, and we laughed at it like we are now chuckling at Google glasses."
About Cherryh Cansler
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