Smartwatches Blur Outlook for Google Glass
Source: Rolfe Winkler
Google's tactical shift reflects how far Glass has to go to gain acceptance among consumers.
Two years ago at Google Inc. GOOGL +0.86% 's annual developer conference, skydivers wearing Google Glass parachuted from an airplane to unveil the Internet-connected eyewear. This year, Glass wasn't mentioned during the conference keynote.
Instead, Google touted new software to power wearable devices like smartwatches that do many of the same things as Glass. The smartwatches are much cheaper, offer far more apps, and don't come with the social baggage associated with wearing a camera on one's face.
The tactical shift reflects how far Glass has to go to gain acceptance among consumers and Google's strategy for wearable devices as it battles Apple Inc. AAPL +0.04% to control the screens serving information in the digital age. For now at least, smartwatches are the cool new toy.
ABI Research analyst Nick Spencer said Google recognizes it needs to write software for "a lower-priced, more-limited product" in wearable technology, which is mostly about seeing messages on the go.
It's far too early to declare Glass dead. The eyewear isn't widely available yet, nor has Google staged any ad campaigns for the device. That may come later this year, when Google is expected to launch Glass officially to consumers.
Glass has won fans among doctors, field-service workers and other professional users who like having a device that can record information while keeping their hands free.
Google also has secured high-profile partners to support Glass. The largest vision insurance company in the U.S., VSP Global, is helping to train optometrists to fit Google Glass with prescription lenses and will provide some insurance benefits. Luxottica Group LUX.MI +0.67% SpA, the world's largest eyewear company by revenue, is designing new, sexier Glass frames for its brands including Ray-Ban and Oakley.
Google recently hired Ivy Ross, formerly chief marketing officer of wall-art retailer Art.com, as the first dedicated executive heading up the Glass project. Her predecessor, Astro Teller, is head of Google X, with responsibility for many of the futuristic projects being developed inside the skunkworks unit.
But Glass will face tough comparisons against smartwatches. Though made for different body parts, both products are designed primarily to give users a quicker way to get information or check messages without taking out their phones. For example, Google says notifications in smartphone apps will show up on both Android-powered watches and Glass.
Watches will be much cheaper. Glass costs $1,500 today, though the price is expected to drop over time. Samsung Electronics Co. 005930.SE +0.08% 's new Android smartwatch, the Gear Live, costs $199.
Watches will also offer more apps for now. Glass has only 67 apps as Google strives to get software developers to design apps that take advantage of the eyewear's features. One such app, Livestream, broadcasts live video from Glass's built-in camera.
Getting an app approved for Glass can be time-consuming―some developers at Google's conference said it can take months. By contrast, smartwatch apps are typically approved in about 90 minutes.
Google's Android mobile-device division is throwing its considerable weight behind software to power smartwatches, bringing with it hardware heavyweights like Samsung and LG Electronics Inc. 066570.SE -0.41% Google hasn't indicated it is making its own models.
Google hopes the various gadgets running its software will work well together. "We see wearables as an emerging new chapter in computing," said Timothy Jordan, staff developer advocate at Google. "Whether it's something worn on the wrist or above the eyes, all of our wearable devices are built on Android."
ABI's Mr. Spencer also points out that smartwatches will double as fitness-trackers, which have been the only smart wearable devices to catch on with consumers thus far. Google Glass has some sensors built in that can be used for fitness apps. Samsung's Gear Live smartwatch adds a heart rate monitor.
Glass does offer a camera, but it can be as much liability as asset because of concerns that Glass wearers may surreptitiously record others. At Google's conference, many Glass owners wore the device on top of their head or around their neck to ease such fears.
Adriana Vecchioli, founder of startup Find.It, which develops an app for Glass, said she often removes the eyewear as a sign of respect for people she is talking to. It's hard to be "in the moment" wearing Glass in social situations, said Ms. Vecchioli. She said it is more useful on trips or for video conferencing.
"In consumer markets, Glass will require a lot of cultural engineering," said Forrester research analyst J.P. Gownder. "It could take years for the public to get there."
In February, Google published guidelines for Glass owners, instructing them not to be "glassholes" and to respect others' privacy. Google also has banned facial-recognition apps.
On July 3, shortly after Glass was made available in the U.K., that country's Cinema Exhibitors' Association set out a new policy requesting that movie patrons not wear Glass, fearing they could use its recording features to pirate movies. That follows a January incident in Columbus, Ohio, when a Glass-wearing movie patron was detained by federal agents who suspected him of recording the film.
| }
|