The idea that wearable computers are on the verge of becoming huge isn't really a proposition that has gotten many contrarians. In some way, wearables will be big, be it as a watch, smart clothing, or head-mounted. The conflicting view is whether or not Google Glass itself will be a hit, and a new survey from Forrester doesn't just say that it will, it says that "Glass will be the next iPhone".
Of course, Forrester is also careful to note that right now Glass isn't on the level of the iPhone, rather Glass is closer to a Newton (Apple's flawed first attempt at a PDA). Forrester surveyed about 4,600 people and from that sample has extrapolated that 21.6 million Americans would buy Google Glass when it is fully ready and released to the consumer public.
 |
But it is that fully ready part that is key:
Glass is continuously improving via over-the-air updates and new applications, and we have no doubt that in time, Glass will be the next iPhone.
Forrester's recommendation for Google is to target the device at tech optimists, who are mostly younger than 50, and mostly high-income, who want to be "perpetually connected". We're not sure Google needs that sort of advice, because we're pretty sure that's the exact demographic Google had in mind when developing Glass in the first place.
And, it sounds like Forrester read our article from a while back, because the report says Glass is definitely not a privacy problem, saying that the device is "too obvious" and the battery life too short to be used as a good surveillance camera.
source: Forrester Research via Venture Beat
No comments:
Post a Comment