With the gradual notification of the 8,000 or so #ifihadglass applicants for Google Glass recently, I thought I’d come out and say it – make sure you can cover your costs before you book a plane ticket, fly to Mountainview (or New York City), and pay your $1500 to get Google Glass. The truth is, alone, Google Glass just isn’t worth the $1500. If you’re not a developer, or your company isn’t paying for them, or if you’re not building a business out of them, they’re just not worth it.
It appears I’m not alone. Joanna Stern of ABC News agrees with me – be sure to check out her review – her experience reflects mine almost exactly. Even Robert Scoble has said the same. The thing is both of those Glass users have gotten their money’s worth out of Google Glass so it makes sense for them to keep it. I’m building a business out of mine – you’ll notice I’m building apps for Glass now (if you’re a news org, contact me – I’d love to license you my software). I’m writing about it. I’ll likely end up consulting others on Google Glass. If none of that were the case, I’d likely end up returning my Glass, or trying to sell it on Ebay (no one says you can’t sell the Glass box and give Glass away for free 😉 ).
I see stories of people, right here in Utah, really excited to get their #ifihadglass purchase. What I don’t think these people realize is that they’re going to have to not only pay the $1500 to get Glass, but also pay to travel out to one of the pickup locations to get it. Google is not shipping Glass to these “winners” like they did the Google I/O attendees like myself. And for a $300 ticket on top of the $1500 plus over $100 in tax you end up paying for them trust me, most of them won’t get their money’s worth out of the device.
If you are a developer and want to build apps for Glass, this is a great purchase – only Glass owners can develop for Glass and this gives you a head start at being one of the first out the door with apps for Glass. If you’re an entrepreneur with an idea that would make your business $2,000 richer by having Glass, go for it. If you have a business plan for the device – it’s totally worth it.
But if you just want to be “one of the first”, or just try it out, or get a chance to visit Google campus, trust me – you’ll be disappointed and mad at Google for making you spend all that money. Glass will likely sell for under $600 I predict – wait for that. Or come find me and I’ll let you try mine out.
For anyone but those with a business plan, Glass just isn’t ready for public consumption, and that’s a good thing. This means by the time you get it, you’ll truly have a tool that gives you a better view of this world. Glass is an amazing technology, but I’m afraid in its current state and price, the public will see through it.
