Tech Titans Release Their Specs!
“If Henry Ford asked people what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse,” argues Silicon Valley as it designs smart glasses! Is augmented reality-based eyewear the future for investors, or are opulent tech giants just throwing money at the wall to see what sticks?
From growth-greedy investors, the brief to BigTech is simple; make eyewear. The interpretation of that brief, however, is something else. Microsoft has used its artistic license to create some sweet headsets for the US Army. With the ‘IVAS,’ troops can overlay friends and foes on a glass display, and engineers can overlay instruction manuals. This is a product driven by public spending and geopolitical shake-ups in the world. It’s about as far from what Snap has devised, as you can imagine.
The social platform has stuck to the brief with some sleek sunglasses. Sure, they’re not battle-ready with sophisticated augmented reality displays, but they do take pretty pictures. Unfortunately, while Snap can hear Wall Street loud and clear, it’s completely blanking customers. A lack of sales should’ve given Snap a hint that repeated jabs at this market aren’t working, but alas, the ‘Spectacles 3’ aren’t even out yet and the company’s already started work on ‘Spectacles 4!’
As for Google and Facebook, they’ve been in the scene for a while. Many consumers got the wrong idea about Google Glass, afraid others could secretly film them. Facebook’s Oculus rift also hasn’t found its way into most of our lives as a clunky gaming aid, so this is clearly a tough business!
There’s always a fear of missing out in tech that means companies blindly follow others into dead-end, faddish markets. Will any smart optical short-comings so far make a homerun pair of specs extra effective in the marketplace? Perhaps, but the market isn’t seeing it yet!
