That title may seem like an odd question, and admittedly, it probably is. What is an iPhone moment, after all? Have I lost my mind? Possibly, but just follow along for a minute.
Think back, if you will, to a time before the iPhone. A little over five years ago, the iPhone did not exist, at least not publicly. Many thought it was on its way, though very few could even imagine the final form the Apple mobile phone would take. Fast forward five years, and it’s hard to remember a time before iOS, and before the modern smartphone was born. Remember when BlackBerry was the top dog in the smartphone world? Nokia Symbian? Does anyone miss those times? No, we didn’t think so.
The iPhone was Apple’s big moment. Always the lucky recipient of a cult following, Apple was far from the big consumer electronics name that it is today. The Apple Stores were not as busy as they are right now, and the company certainly wasn’t making money hand over fist in the same way that it is now. The iPhone arguably revolutionized Apple, and Google is looking for the same thing to happen.
Already a very, very large and successful company, it finds itself in a similar situation to Apple pre-iPhone. Amongst the Technorati, Google is something of a king. Android is certainly selling like hotcakes, though we do question whether the average punter in the street even realizes that Google was anywhere near their smartphone, even if it’s a Nexus device. Google is somewhat anonymous to the everyman, and that needs to change.
With Project Glass, Google has something that has the potential to capture the imagination in the same way the iPhone did. When people see it, and see what it can do, they will be wowed indeed, if you have seen Sergey Brin’s skydiving demo at this year’s Google I/O, you’ll know what I mean.
People will want to know when they can get one, how much it will cost and whether they’ll need a new contract to go along with it. They’ll want to know whether they can link it to their phones, and some might even know that Google makes both Glass and their smartphone. You just never know!
The problem is though, despite all that Glass has to offer – and there’s plenty of promise, that’s for sure – Glass is still too far away and, potentially, too expensive. With versions being made available for pre-order to developers only, and with a price tag of $1,500, Glass is simply too expensive. Yes that price will come down, but will it come down enough for something that for all its wow-factor, is still going to make people look more than a little silly walking through their city. If they have to talk to it too, then they’ll probably have men in white coats following them around too, just waiting to take them to the funny farm.
Project Glass has the potential to be something awesome, and dare we say it, insanely great. We just don’t think we’d eve be seen dead wearing one in its current guise. Yes it will probably improve, but will we even care by then?
What if Apple kicks out a competitor beforehand? What if Apple and Google end up in court for the next forty years arguing about it?
Urgh, now we’ve just made ourselves depressed.
For discussion on this topic: Check out the threads on Facebook or Google+.
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.
