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'Intrusive' Google Glass not for SA

Bonnie Tubbs
By Bonnie Tubbs, ITWeb telecoms editor.
Johannesburg, 14 Apr 2014
Google Glass has been likened to donning a Mohawk hairstyle, having facial tattoos and wearing 'Ask Me How I Lost Weight' badges.
Google Glass has been likened to donning a Mohawk hairstyle, having facial tattoos and wearing 'Ask Me How I Lost Weight' badges.

The advent of smart eyewear, pioneered by Google Glass, may herald an eventual evolution of the mobile phone as we know it, but for now it is largely a "nice to have" at best - and an inconvenient, intrusive modern-day accessory at worst.

This is according to local technology pundits, who say Google Glass is nowhere near becoming mainstream in SA, despite an optimistic outlook for the wearable tech industry and Google's recent move to bring its smart headgear into the consumer space.

According to the IDC, the worldwide wearable computing market - commonly referred to as wearables - is finally expanding beyond early adopter status to more functional and stylish lifestyle accessories.

The IDC says wearables took a huge step forward over the past year. The research house predicts shipment volumes will exceed 19 million units in 2014 - more than tripling last year's sales. From there, IDC predicts, the global market will swell to 111.9 million units in 2018, resulting in a CAGR of 78.4%.

Last week, Google announced it would take online orders for its Glass wearable gadget, starting tomorrow, in the tech giant's biggest push to get the $1 500 (about R15 800) wraparound Web-ready glasses out to the US public.

Intrusive ill

World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck says, as it stands, Google Glass does not make much sense as an enhancement of the functionality of a mobile phone, and so is unlikely to be taken up by consumers any time soon.

While the industry is beginning to see smart bands and wristwatches enter the market, this is still on a limited scale, he notes. "That may begin taking off in the next two years as prices come down, but smart eyewear is still years off in this market."

Goldstuck points to a number of "disconnects" Google Glass inherently represents: "Firstly, glasses have always been seen as an encumbrance. If you don't have to wear them, you are seen as having an advantage.

"One may argue that the advantages of Google Glass outweigh the disadvantages of glasses, but you already have a PR battle on your hands here. If you do have to wear glasses, many people struggle to find spectacles that enhance their appearance - which usually comes down to a very different choice for any two people."

Goldstuck notes that having technology built into the glass completely limits that choice. "So even among glass-wearers, it needs to reach a level where you can clip it unobtrusively onto any set of specs."

Secondly, says Goldstuck, Google Glass is "possibly the single most intrusive clothing accessory of modern times, almost on a par with Mohawk hairstyles, facial tattoos and 'Ask Me How I Lost Weight' badges".

He says people wearing Google Glass in public are sending a signal that they do not care about being offensive or "in-your-face".

According to a Business Insider journalist (US), he was assaulted on Friday night for wearing Google Glass in public.

Kyle Russell says he was walking down the sidewalk in the Mission District of San Francisco on the weekend, when someone shouted "Glass!", snatched the glasses off his face and threw them to the ground.

Russell says, in retrospect, he understands it may not have been "the best idea" to don the hi-tech headgear while walking down the San Francisco sidewalk.

"It is no surprise that Google had to issue guidelines to staff wearing the device on how not to be a glasshole," says Goldstuck.

He says the nature of the device lends itself to social insensitivity. "It's what the Americans like to call 'douchebaggery', and it is a powerful syndrome in the tech community."

Goldstuck says the real power of Google Glass is that it acts as a wonderful test-bed - both technologically and socially - for the future evolution of wearable technology. "The investment is probably worthwhile for the spin-offs and knowledge it will generate."

He says, however, the social benefits of the gadget - if any - are going to be a low-priority in its initial roll-out.

Cellphone evolution

Tech analyst Liron Segev, from TheTechieGuy.com, notes wearable tech comes in different formats.

"The fit-type of bands are already all the rage and other manufacturers such as Samsung are going after that style [but] wearable tech that does the same thing as the phone does, makes no sense in its current form."

Wearable tech that offers something extra - such as becoming an input device - is where wearable tech should be, says Segev.

That said, Segev says an evolution in the format of the mobile phone is inevitable. "We started with massive brick-type phones that only made a phone call and they evolved to where we are today.

"The next evolution is taking the form factor of these devices and evolving them to something new - something that we wear and is more a part of us, rather than something we carry."

IDC analyst Spiwe Chireka says Google Glass is still positioned as a "nice-to-have" and, at its current price point, is not expected to make any waves in the local market - at least not for years yet.

"That said, if Google can enhance the functionality beyond everything that a mobile phone can do anyway, and if more manufacturers come on board and lower the price point - then we might see some traction.

"I don't think we can expect to see the handset becoming a wearable - not in the next four years or so at least. That said, technology moves fast and the world is moving towards a scenario where everything is smaller and I anticipate that one day we may not carry a handset as we do now. Until then, Google Glass is a gimmicky nice-to-have."

Mass market

Goldstuck says, despite the hype around Google Glass and the possibilities it holds for the future of wearable tech, it is a non-starter in developing markets, for a number of reasons.

The main reason, he says, is that Google has little interest in rolling out hi-tech in low-tech countries. "Its priorities in developing countries revolve around increasing connectivity and Internet use.

"Google Glass is aimed at people who already have unlimited and unfettered Internet access. For example, there has been no effort whatsoever to bring Google Nexus phones into South Africa. Why then bring something with far lower market potential and far higher bandwidth demand?"

Even if it does come to developing markets, he says, it will make few inroads. "It is far too expensive, although the $1 500 price tag is expected to come down sharply once it goes into mass production. But it will still be on a par with current smartwatches, which scare people off with their prices."

Thirdly, he says Google Glass needs a localised ecosystem. "And that is going to depend on early adopters and hobbyist developers. There will be the cool factor to attract them, but also the 'glasshole' factor to repel them. It's going to happen only among a show-off elite."

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