Google Glass is dead. It’s not partially dead, it’s not just migrated to another, obscure market. It’s really really and dearly dead. The hardware is gone and soon there will be no software support. It’s the end, and despite all its shortcomings, I’m a little sad.
Google Glass appeared in 2012 as “Project Glass” in the face of a group of paratroopers landing at Google I/O 2012. (opens in new tab) And then on stage with Google co-founder Sergey Brin. There has never been a product like this before or since. Of course, if you start at that height, you probably have no choice but to go down.
Still, the early days were exciting and I was right in the middle of it.
i have glasses I was obsessed with Google Glass (Image credit: Future) Got one of the first Google Glass Explorer Editions. The design back then wasn’t much different from the one Google discontinued this year (it will be supported until September). It’s a thin, wrap-around piece of metal with the components housed on one side just above the ears. Metal curves around his face lead to thin nose pads and pads to his arms, perfectly balanced against the glasses on his nose. Above one eye is a single rectangular prism. I had to look up to see the expanded world on the tiny 25×25 inch virtual screen.
There was also a camera for taking pictures and videos.
To activate features like taking a picture, say “Ok Google”. You can also use some gestures. You can view all the news, weather and alerts delivered from your paired phone. It was the platform. So there was an SDK and people could build apps. Yes, for a while you could even tweet directly from Google Glass.
Explaining it now, I can see that the whole thing sounds a little complicated and silly. I didn’t mind if I didn’t wear it over my usual glasses. If I had invested in prescription lens attachments, I’m sure they might have looked a little goofy, but even I wasn’t ready for that level of eye commitment.
And when I say I wore them everywhere, I mean pretty much everywhere. I never went that far.
glass tv
I’ve worn them on multiple national TV shows (see Today’s Show above), so I’ve often been the unofficial Google Glass rep. My image appears in stories I didn’t write or publications I didn’t work for.
I wore it to CES and asked Star Trek: Next Generation What did Jordy (Lever Burton) think of them.
Sergey Brin showed me how to wear them correctly (opens in new tab) .
I took the pair apart to see how Google put them together (Google wasn’t happy).
I wore them to fashion shows and livestreamed the event.Google Glass included a mic so every video had my twang narration🤦♂️
Everywhere I went they were on my face and people were mesmerized (appalled).
Hey, where’s your dignity? At the same time, others were concerned about the invasive nature of the technology. You may have had a camera on your face and shared images or videos that shouldn’t have been shared (I never did this and always announced that I was going to share it). record).
Google Glass was soon banned.I remember banning them at Comic-Con and had very understandable concerns about showing up in the bathroom (opens in new tab) .
It didn’t take long for me, and most of the average Google Glass wearer, to realize that Google was making unacceptable tradeoffs. You can access and automate intelligent wearables or have a normal look. It was not just what Google Glass looked like on your head, but how it looked with them. There was a nod of my head to wake up the small display that wasn’t there.
Constantly looking up and left (or am I right?) to see the AR view can be distracting to the person facing you.
Click here for the lesson Two years later, Apple has shown us what wearable technology should be. The Apple Watch was an almost instant hit because it infused technology and connectivity into a known wearable. Putting on the Apple Watch and glancing at it was perfectly natural.
Nothing about Google Glass. It took him less than a year to part ways with Google Glass, and he found himself increasingly horrified by what he had spent the past 12 months as a techno weirdo.
Don’t get me wrong, Google Glass was important. Interest in smart glasses has increased. I don’t think Nreal, Facebook Ray-Ban Stories, Magic Leap, Snapchat Spectacles, or even the mostly-destroyed Microsoft HoloLens would exist without them.
Our fascination with smart headgear isn’t over yet. Millions of people wear the best VR headsets of all time, and Meta and HTC are rolling out mixed reality headgear. Whatever Apple is working on is probably the unfortunately named Apple Glasses.
The Cupertino giant is a special case. It could be working on something very similar to HoloLens or Magic Leap, or something like Google Glass, a lightweight and very expensive augmented reality headset. Like Google Glass, it relies heavily on a paired smartphone to do its magic.
I’d love to say I’ve learned my lesson with Google Glass, but I wouldn’t try Apple Glass, but I’d be lying.
Rip Google Glass.
