Most everyone in the tech world has seen the Google Glass product through images of people wearing it, to the cool You Tube videos showing them in action. The tech industry is all about it, and how could they not be? The only problem is, how will the people who are immune to it’s charm react to it?
The answer is probably not as calmly as you would think. If you don’t believe me try this – Walk around with your smart phone and start snapping pictures or recording videos of random people. You’ll start out getting some strange looks and before long someone is trying to snatch your phone away because you are invading their privacy. Once people realize that everyone with these cool fairmarketing tech glasses can snap a picture or video of them without lifting a finger, people are going to get paranoid.
Another pending question is what effect Google Glass will have on SEO, PPC & Social Media Marketing? As with the smartphone, the easier a consumer can access a search engine, the more likely they are to search. And like when smart phones came into the picture, online marketers were forced to tailor some campaigns towards that device. It’s possible we could see similar customized campaigns for Google Glass in the future.
Google Glass will almost certainly have a major impact on the way we market locally online. As people walk by their favorite restaurant or service provider they will be able to capture information with much more ease.
We’re still a ways away from seeing 1 out of 3 people walking down the street with Google Glass. In fact, the only way to get Google Glass now is if Google deems you worthy. Through their Explorer program, people can tweet using the hashtag #ifihadglass and tell Google what they would do with the product. And if Google is impressed, they’ll let you fork over the $1,500 to purchase them.
Another problem even techies will be steaming over is Google’s sell/loan restrictions for the Explorer edition. As of right now, once you buy Google Glass it is yours and only yours. You can’t turn around and sell it on eBay for a 200% profit. The product is linked to an individual Google account and if it’s transferred to someone else, the product could be deactivated to the point no one can use it. Here’s the verbiage straight from Google’s Terms of Sale:
“Unless otherwise authorized by Google, you may only purchase one Device, and you may not resell, loan, transfer, or give your Device to any other person. If you resell, loan, transfer, or give your device to any other person without Google’s authorization, Google reserves the right to deactivate the Device, and neither you”
That opens up a whole can of worms when the retailer is telling you what you can and can’t do with the product you just paid $1,500 for. But on the plus side, it may keep people from snatching the device off of your head while you are busy checking the weather.
For more information about Google Glass, visit the official page: google.com/glass.