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My two-week review of Google Glass: it all depends on the price

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Re: My two-week review of Google Glass: it all depends on the price

#21

Post by stesch »

buro9 wrote: post #12
hkmurakami wrote: post #3

The success of this totally depends on price. Each audience I asked at the end of my presentations "who would buy this?" As the price got down to $200 literally every hand went up. At $500 a few hands went up. This was consistent, whether talking with students, or more mainstream, older audiences. $500 standalone and $200 with some kind of carrier contract? (or is glass meant to be an accessory to a phone? maybe the…

It's an accessory to a phone. It uses bluetooth primarily, but additionally can use WiFi for network communication. It does not have 3g/4g nor require a SIM or contract. Think of it is a bluetooth headset that happens to have a camera and display, and additionally WiFi (for helping to upload those larger files).

Nobody in their right mind would hold a cell phone for most of the waking hours continously at their head.

I wonder how problematic Bluetooth and WiFi are for your health.

Re: My two-week review of Google Glass: it all depends on the price

#22

Post by rmp2150 »

netrus wrote: post #17
rmp2150 wrote: post #9

Why is the picture quality so bad?

Guess it's because the camera has to be super-tiny.

Wasn't the camera one of the biggest selling points Google tried to make? Looking at picture quality in the blog post and the Glass demo at Google I/O 2012, there is a clear disconnect, in my opinion.

Re: My two-week review of Google Glass: it all depends on the price

#24

Post by PanMan »

Isn't it clear that, as with any electronics product, price will go down over time? So even if they launch at $500, in a few years there will be a version for $200. So the question might be more how strongly they want to boost adoption at launch. And this could be a product that actually needs a slower adoption, to get people used to it.

Re: My two-week review of Google Glass: it all depends on the price

#25

Post by buro9 »

davidw wrote: post #16

Hrm. I find that wearing things that aren't strictly necessary irritates me. I don't even like watches, let alone some thing attached to my face. When I raced bikes, I ended up dumping the annoying heart rate monitor too as I did not like having this thing strapped to me. Phones work pretty well as they're just along for the ride, like a wallet or keys, and don't constrain me.

I agree. I also ditched HRM on the bike, but even found something as innocuous as a Fitbit a burden.

When the Fitbit worked, it worked well... but then after a couple of weeks it broke and when the utility and value of it has fallen away it is immediately an annoyance.

I think, for Google, that ensuring that the value proposition is quite solid (mature offering of services via Glass) that it will do well.

The worst thing for them would be to launch too early when the value is not yet proven, and for poor network connectivity, poor software, to turn the "Wow" into annoyance.

Re: My two-week review of Google Glass: it all depends on the price

#26

Post by jdotjdot »

I'm actually pretty curious how this will fit for people who already wear glasses or some kind of eyewear. Will there be prescription Google Glass(es)? That could shoot the price way up, especially if Google is the only merchant for them. Who will make the lenses for me? Could I get my favorite glasses merchant to make my glasses, or will I be forced to get a $700 special prescription pair from Google? Maybe people with poor eyesight could never wear them at all?

I am completely on board with the product and hope for its success--but I am convinced that the entire product is merely the first iteration that will eventually make way for contact lenses, which will be the true long-term viable version of this product. Right now, Google Glass will be good for gathering information not only about the world around us as we already do with smartphones, but for understanding how customers and developers would begin to use such a product--and then applying that information towards improvement in what will ultimately be lenses.

Re: My two-week review of Google Glass: it all depends on the price

#27

Post by threeseed »

onedev wrote: post #10

Some observations: From what he wrote it seems to me like he only gauged the reactions of technically-oriented people. Of course tech people are going to be pretty excited about this, more-so than the average Joe. He also seems to feel very very strongly about this. I don't think many people feel the same strength of opinion towards Glass. He's right about the price. If they could cut it down to subsidized-smartphone…

   I don't think it'll be too different from pulling out your phone from a politeness standpoint.
This is the point a lot of Glass proponents don't seem to get. They assume that not paying attention to you whilst looking at your face is somehow more polite than looking at your phone. It's not.

I suspect that over time Glass will become like Bluetooth earpieces. Perfect for use alone but a faux pas around other people.

Re: My two-week review of Google Glass: it all depends on the price

#28

Post by JelteF »

stesch wrote: post #21
buro9 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an accessory to a phone. It uses bluetooth primarily, but additionally can use WiFi for network communication. It does not have 3g/4g nor require a SIM or contract. Think of it is a bluetooth headset that happens to have a camera and display, and additionally WiFi (for helping to upload those larger files).

Nobody in their right mind would hold a cell phone for most of the waking hours continously at their head. I wonder how problematic Bluetooth and WiFi are for your health.

Without discussing if Bluetooth and WiFi are bad for your health, it would be way better to keep those transmitters and receivers close to your head than for instance your upper body. Your skull is quite dense and blocks radiation way more than the soft material that protects your heart and lungs.

Re: My two-week review of Google Glass: it all depends on the price

#30

Post by seanmcdirmid »

davidw wrote: post #16

Hrm. I find that wearing things that aren't strictly necessary irritates me. I don't even like watches, let alone some thing attached to my face. When I raced bikes, I ended up dumping the annoying heart rate monitor too as I did not like having this thing strapped to me. Phones work pretty well as they're just along for the ride, like a wallet or keys, and don't constrain me.

I wear glasses and despise contacts. I guess I could get laser surgery, but I'm used enough to glasses that I would never bother with the cost or risk.

I don't see how this is very different from wearing glasses.

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