Time magazine named them one of the best inventions of the year, even The Simpsons dedicated an episode to it. But despite its worldwide fame, Google Glass has not managed to become what Mountain View intended. They have not become a sales phenomenon or one of the most important technological products of the 21st century. But what happened? What was the reason that these smart glasses did not reach society? We can say that its price and the threat of privacy have been two of the most important triggers.
Google Glass was born in the company's most risky laboratory, where some of its most daring proposals have also been developed, such as the Google Car . The first edition of these glasses were put on sale to developers in April 2013 at a price of about 1,200 euros at the exchange rate plus taxes. A year later they were also launched in the United Kingdom for 1,000 euros with the possibility of acquiring them in various colors. The truth is that it did not take long to verify that Google Glass had not been a good idea. In January 2015, Google decided to stop selling them on a large scale.The company did not give reasons, but it was not necessary. As we say, price and privacy were two of the consequences. There was also talk of a short battery life, an important point in this type of smart device.
Google Glass and privacy
At first glance, Google Glass attracts attention. They seem light and, above all, they have a futuristic look without losing an iota of modernity. But they are not ordinary glasses. They are capable of giving information about anonymous people who pass by on the street or even record videos or capture photos without anyone knowing. This quickly sparked a heated debate, and privacy advocates shook their heads. In fact, in June 2013, ten privacy regulators from around the world, including the European Commission, asked Google for more information on how it would comply with their protection laws.. The company argued at the time that its plans did not include modifying its privacy policy to address the specific concerns of some legislators. It was the chronicle of a death foretold.
Google Glass Enterprise Edition
Despite its withdrawal from the market, Google never intended to completely abandon this project. In fact, last summer, Alphabet, the Google business group, decided to give it a new try. The main idea started from the basis that what could not succeed in the mass market does not mean that it cannot do so among companies from half the world. This is how the Google Glass Enterprise Edition was born, with improvements at the design and software level than their predecessors . And a lighter model for those who need to wear them for longer. Its price starts at 2,000 euros, so we are talking about it being quite high.
Initially, US companies such as DHL and Dignity Health began using them in their offices. Basically, they are designed for work environments where accounting is handled, for medical or logistics consultations. The main objective is to help employees in their day-to-day tasks . It is true that this product makes more sense in companies, although at the moment it remains to be seen what its impact will be between now and the next few years.
It should be noted that the Spanish Streye is one of the only two European companies with a distribution license . Furthermore, Streye also sells the device to individuals. The price of the basic model is approximately 1,500 euros, very similar to that of that first "explorer edition".