Failure Is the Best Thing That Could Happen to Google Glass
Today, for one day only, Google Glass goes on sale to everyone in the U.S. Everyone, that is, with an extra $1,500 to spare and a desire to become a guinea pig in a hotly contested social experiment. It’s not a stretch to say that this little test, the first that hasn’t been geared to the already converted, could steer what Google ultimately decides to do with the entire project.
Until today, Google’s headwear has only been available in limited release through its Glass Explorer program. Making Glass widely available has ginned up predictable publicity that may give the impression of pent-up demand for Glass. But that demand is far from certain. People love to hate on Glass at least as much as users claim to love it.
If today’s sale fails, the future of Glass will be in doubt, and Google will have only itself to blame. The company hoped that through the sheer force of its awesomeness, it could circumvent the usual flow of novel technologies and bless the public with its grand design without being able to explain the need for it. Glass’ botched debut has created a brand stigma that may have already doomed the device.
