Google Glass, as a pioneering product of the new generation of smart glasses, has failed in testing market demand but also due to its many shortcomings. It has been 19 months since Google Glass was discontinued. Google seems unwilling to let it swallow the last breath.
The failure of Google Glass's initial product is not without meaning. It has cleared the minefield for the development of smart glasses such as AR/VR. Microsoft may have been directly inspired. After the Windows 10 conference, Hololens quickly identified the commercial market positioning and carefully iterated the product. In addition, how to deal with the relationship between hardware and software, how to effectively draw the developer, has also become a compulsory course for all VR hardware developers.
Unlike hardware and software, do not prematurely bring semi-finished products to market
For software, content developers can log in to the distribution platform with a free version of Beta. Through feedback from the distribution platform, they can understand the current defects and market prospects of this product. The preemptive experience mode of the Steam platform is a good example. Developers can sell early versions of content to players at a low price to obtain development funds and user suggestions, and provide free upgrade services later.
But for hardware, this method may not be applicable. The hardware version of the developer's version also needs to have a certain degree of completion, and it is obviously impossible for the consumer to make a second payment for your development machine and finished hardware. The development version of Hololens used up nearly 5 years of Microsoft's R&D time, and the overall difference between the HTC Vive development version and the consumer version was not significant.
Google apparently stays in the "software" mindset. Tony Fadell, head of Google Glass's research and development, acknowledges that prematurely pushing the development version to the public is a wrong decision: "Different from the individual electronic components, the presence of the production line will certainly More development time is consumed, and the related functions of the product need to be clearly defined before the product is launched. Once the consumer spends the cost and buys the product with unequal value, he will lose confidence and destroy the future market of the product.â€
Google Glass's hardware itself does have some problems. Many developers feedback that the power of this product can only guarantee its normal operation for one hour, followed by a decrease in performance and a large area of ​​heat. The imaging of Google Glass is not as good as expected, and the narrow viewing area requires people to take an unnatural look. The AI ​​features in the concept video are even more ridiculous. American science writer Robert Scoble once complained that Google Glass was still pushing Twitter messages while he was on stage.
For VR devices, HTC actually offers a compromise solution, and their promotional tactics appear more positive and generous. In March of last year, HTC teamed up with Valve to launch an application program for the development machine. As long as content developers pass the form filter on the official website, they can get a free HTC Vive. Through this method, hardware developers can not only effectively avoid market risks, but also gain valuable opinions from industry leaders.
Clearly positioned to allow developers to facilitate secondary development of equipment
Although at the beginning of its release, Google Glass showed a blueprint for smart glasses to dominate the future of human beings, its product positioning is actually very unclear. Google is particularly negative about drawing up business partners, and the high price and obstructed channels of Google Glass are also very unfriendly to consumers and developers. This directly led to content developers can not clearly see the market prospects of hardware, and thus become apprehensive to application development.
There aren't many eyewear manufacturers working with Google, including only Luxottica. This has led to a long-term improvement in the design of Google Glass. In addition, Google does not actively engage in partnerships in scientific research, medical care, and education.
On the other hand, Hololens is often seen in the classroom of college education, and is even closely related to NASA. While oculus rift and HTC Vive are focused on the consumer market, they are also working on the layout of the commercial sector.
In addition, consumers want to experience Google Glass is also extremely difficult, up to 1,500 US dollars in price so many people are daunted, and this device in the 2014 public release until the time of the 2015 production stop, most of the time only Open channels to U.S. users. As a pioneering technology product, it did not cooperate with the media to promote.
Google Glass missed a good opportunity in the uncertain game. Coupled with the fact that the ecological chain of smart glasses was not mature at the time, few people were willing to carry out secondary development based on this device, which directly caused its content to be used sparsely. In such a severe situation, Google itself has not developed a platform-enabled application for Google Glass. This product is naturally difficult to gain favor in the consumer market.
In the direction of VR devices, Starbreeze's StarVR Headset was mainly used in the enterprise market. The distinctive commercial orientation allowed them to gain the trust of IMAX, and then derived the IMAX VR Centers project and related content applications. The market positioning of Google Cardboard is rather clear. It not only drives the wave of mobile VR, but also cooperates with Coca-Cola, McDonald's and other companies, and has achieved a good promotion effect.
Although the ecological chain of VR equipment has begun to take shape, innovative products still need to be vigilant
Unlike the situation of scarce content and development pools when Google Glass was launched, the arrival of large amounts of capital and the support of developers have gradually improved the ecological chain of VR devices. From the low-end VR box to the system-based mobile VR to the top-level core VR, consumer and commercial products have a certain market space. The problems faced by VR hardware developers have not been as severe as when Google Glass opened up the market. Now. However, many innovative VR/AR products still need to bypass the pits it has passed.
The original design of Skully helmets was very attractive. Components such as GPS, hands-free system, and built-in smart display could meet almost all traffic applications. However, the overly high positioning made it difficult for developers to keep the project going, and the $12.5 million financing was also available. There is little left in abuse.
The face tracking headlines launched by the Veeso team also recently reported the failure of crowdfunding. The projects they launched on Kickstarter are not recognized by consumers. In the view of VR Daily, Veeso head display is not a failed product, but functions such as facial expression synchronization are more suitable for use in commercial fields. For example, Disney VR movies need to be customized for Avatar. For Veeso, crowdfunding may not be the only source of funding.
The same FOV for innovative products has won the success of crowdfunding because its eye-tracking technology can be rapidly expanded to consumer-level applications such as games, shopping, and design.
After experiencing the initial Waterloo, Google seemed to wake up. Earlier rumors pointed out that the second generation of Google Glass products will be mainly for business users. Alphabet Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt once stated clearly that Google Glass is a very important basic platform. It will only be sold for a short period of time, and the next generation of products after replacement will surely be respected by the fee-payers. The patent that Google recently applied for seems to be telling us the same information. Replacing the prism, adding the touchpad, and changing the battery structure all indicate that this product will reappear in front of us in another form.
The success of a new product is always accompanied by countless failures. The transportation tool Segway has entered the consumer market with great momentum, but only sold 24,000 units in 4 years. VR hardware as a product that breaks the traditional, naturally It will be severely tested by the market. But in general, these failed experience will also allow new technologies to go further.