My thoughts on Google Glass seem to change with each story I read on this revolutionary technology. On this very site, I made it abundantly clear that I would smack the Glass off the first person I saw wearing them. Hours later, I was joined by the 5 Point Cafe in Seattle when the restaurant made national news suggesting that the first person wearing Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Glass would suffer bodily harm.
Since then, I’ve warmed up to them, written of their potential, and ponied up $1500 for the first generation iteration. While this is primarily work related, I’ve felt that I can’t in good conscience ignore a technology that I write about regularly. That said, I still suffer from buyers remorse and rarely do they see the public light of day. They don’t feel awkward on my head, but rather I feel awkward wearing them.
Apparently, I’m not alone. In a recent survey conducted by BiTE interactive, 1,000 U.S. adults were asked their thoughts on Google Glass, 45 percent of respondents said they wouldn’t wear it/them because of its awkward aesthetic or because the device seemed irritating.
A fair bit of this seems to do with price, according to the survey if the price was considerably lower than the $1,500, where it is right now, about 38 percent of respondents said they still wouldn’t wear Google Glass. Those surveyed were not necessarily neophytes regarding technology, each person surveyed was a smartphone owner.
I suspect that these numbers will change once Google Glass is released and people begin to see the potential benefits of the technology. Americans comfortably switched from well-made Japanese cars to poorly made, gas-guzzling SUV’s. It seems the American consumer is willing to change in spite of logic. In their defense, part of the millennial shift to the SUV has to do with safety. When everyone else is driving a tank, self-preservation demands that you don’t buy a Smart Car or Mini Cooper.
Chris Matyszczyk of Cnet was a little harsher on the American consumer when he wrote that “I had always thought Americans were willing to try something new — at least once. This sense of adventure often explains the nation’s predilection for naivete, war, and forgiveness.”
On the surface I was almost upset with his comments until I read further where he described Michelle Bachman as a “pioneer.” Whether intended sarcastically or not, it immediately reduced the worth of his opinion and I comfortably stopped reading.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Glass will be released soon enough, and its use will be fun to track.
