3 R E A S
O N S W H Y G O O G L E
G L A S S I S G O I N G
T O F A I L
1. We Already Have
SmartPhones
Stay with me here. I know full well what this argument
sounds like to you. You’re going to try to compare me to someone from a past
generation who said “well we already have typewriters, why would we need
computers” and dismiss this argument as short-sighted. That’s not what I’m
getting at.
My point in saying that Google Glass is going to fail
because many people already have smartphones stems from a few observations
about what the system can presently do. As far as I have seen, Google Glass
does not have any function it performs that a SmartPhone cannot. I encourage
commenters to prove me wrong on this one, because I would certainly love to
hear what new thing Google Glass could add to my life. It can call people, take
pictures and video, search for things, and give you directions. But my
challenge is this – besides being able to refrain from holding your phone in
front of your face to display a map in front of you, what is Google Glass
really adding to the technology experience?
The jump from old cellphones (affectionately called
“dumbphones” now) was clear – the device was more than a phone. It was now more
like a computer in your pocket, complete with a web browser and the ability to
download apps. The device became customizable to what you wanted to do with it,
and arguably more convenient. The concept of a touch screen took away the need
for buttons to clutter design – which opened the way for adaptable interfaces
that change depending on the app that is currently running. In praising Google
Glass’ “innovation,” we may be taking the SmartPhone for granted.
So would there even be a jump of any kind when making the
move to Google Glass from a SmartPhone? In my opinion, that jump would at best
be a jump to the side, not forward. It may even be a step backward, if
interacting with your headset proves to be less innovative that using a
SmartPhone. How much can you interact with a device when it only has a
scrollbar you can touch with your fingers and a slew of voice commands? The
importance of haptic feedback in interface design cannot be understated, and
for every technological innovation that tries to make do without it, I have
never seen a product that I have been pleased with.
2. Not Everyone Wants
To Wear Glasses
I stole this argument from my father, who pointed out the
lengths he went to in order to not wear glasses all the time. He wears contact
lenses in order to correct his vision without the need to wear something on his
face, and I only ever see him wear glasses late at night when he’s already
removed the lenses. My aunt got corrective laser eye surgery so that she
wouldn’t need them anymore – and she is just one of many. Now I realize that
I’m citing two personal examples of people from an older generation, but I
don’t think that the need to not have your face obstructed is an old-fashioned
ideal. It could be as natural to human beings as basic survival – people are
very resistant to change, and glasses take getting used to. Very few people
wear them purely as fashion items. In addition, do people always want to have
glasses on whenever they need the services of a mobile computer?
3. Not Everyone Wants
To Look The Same
Think of any science fiction movie you’ve ever seen. What
stands out about it to you? Is anything strange? Sure, those movies have odd
plots, but what about the world they’ve created? Does anything stick out to you
as something that “human beings just wouldn’t do because it isn’t in their
nature?” Hmmm… what could it be…
Oh, I know! It’s weird when everyone in those movies wears
the exact same jumpsuit thing, almost like a uniform. This is very common in
dystopian works that want to show off how the individuality of the person has
been lost and absorbed into the complacent mob. Why does Google think that
people are going to want to wear the exact same pair of glasses as 100,000
other people in their own country? Fashion isn’t a part of our culture because
it’s necessary or important. It’s a part of our culture because people want to
use it to stand out.
“But Google Glass comes in 6 distinct colors!”
Stop. That’s not enough. Color barely matters – what people
notice is form. The shape of the glasses, which will no doubt be determined by
the function it needs to provide. No one wants to look like everybody else and
wear a big Google ad on their face. And none of these reasons have anything to
do with privacy or the Glass ad experience, which is a completely different
topic anyway.
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