As the news of Google Glass being discontinued hit the headlines, it has been met with much sadness from its users and admirers, who saw the device as a revolutionary concept and welcomed the idea of having their hands completely free to be able to freely talk, type and navigate the world with ease.
Google first unveiled the concept of the Google Glass back in 2012. Google’s own Eric Schmidt described the functionality of the device as “like having a smartphone but with your hands free.” In addition to being able to search the web and use applications, Google Glass had a powerful feature in its camera that would track the user’s movements as they travelled. This could be used for videos and pictures to be captured at the right time and place.
Although the Google Glass first hit the market with an initial release in 2014, its journey did not last much longer. Its novelty quickly died off and only a small fraction of the population actually adopted it. There were many complaints about the device such as its style, privacy issues and the price, which cost a hefty $1,500.
Google Glass was also believed to be distracting, as users risked missing out on social cues and other important information while using the device. These critiques, in addition to its slow adoptance rate, led Google to take the regrettable decision to discontinue its production in January 2015.
The passing of Google Glass may have been premature and the idea may eventually make a comeback, but for now let us take a moment to reflect on what Google’s technology brought to the world, hoping that something will come up in the near future that could replace it. Goodbye Google Glass, we knew you well.
