Before beginning this assignment, please read the Forbes Google Glass Article and the Verge.com Meta Glass. These can be found in Module 2 and in the Case Materials Module.
Google introduced Google Glass in 2012 to great consumer excitement. These wearable technology glasses included a camera and a variety of applications displayed on the glasses themselves. However, the product never took off with consumers and is now only used in select industrial settings. The main concerns about the product were high prices, privacy concerns, and bulky design.
Meta has just released a new generation of smart glasses for creators, including audio capabilities, camera, and video (in recording and live stream modes). They have announced the intention to release fully integrated AR glasses by 2027. “In 2025, Himel said the third generation of the smart glasses will ship with a display that he called a “viewfinder” for viewing incoming text messages, scanning QR codes, and translating text from another language in real time. The glasses will come with a “neural interface” band that allows the wearer to control the glasses through hand movements, such as swiping fingers on an imaginary D-pad. Eventually, he said the band will let the wearer use a virtual keyboard and type at the same words per minute as what mobile phones allow.” ( Heath, 2023)
Please answer the following questions after reading the two articles about Google and Meta glasses.
What are the primary reasons, according to the Forbes article, that Google Glass failed to thrive?
Do you agree with this assessment? Why or why not?
If Google Glass were released this year (2024), do you think they would be more successful than they were a decade ago? Why or why not?
How do you think consumers can be motivated to try the current meta glasses knowing that a more fully functional AR version will be released in 3 years?
One key barrier to the widespread adoption of Google Glass was consumer privacy concerns. When undergraduate students were asked about adopting Meta Glasses, their number one concern was also privacy. How do you believe Meta can assuage these concerns?
Based on our book, slides, and lecture, how would you design a qualitative study to determine consumer perceptions of “smart” glasses?
Think back to the material regarding three categories of value. What kind of value do you think Meta glasses should focus on providing for its target market? Why? How do you think they can best communicate that value proposition to their market?
Please note* You should include at least 2 credible, external, supporting sources when answering these questions ( 2 total, not 2 for each question). All sources should be cited in-text and in a reference section in APA or MLA format. You can use these sources as background and perspective on the smart glasses market or to support your answers to any of the questions.
