Ordinary People May Look and Feel Awkward Wearing Google Glass, But That Doesn't Mean Wearables Will Never Catch On



Wearable computing is something that the experts (I hate the word "futurists") have been predicting as the "next big thing" for a while now.

And Microsoft's 2014 acquisition of patents for augmented reality technology (as reported in a March 27th, 2014 post to techcrunch) have fanned the interest of gamers hopeful that the Xbox maker might soon offer augmented reality glasses (glasses that could work with the company’s Kinect gesture-based features?).

Then again, the rocky reception of Google Glass has added some cautionary voices to the mix.

Perhaps the immediate future for wearable computing will not include broad acceptance by the everyday user. Instead, could we see wearables showing up with specialized functionality for professionals? 

When I encounter someone wearing a pair, I'll admit that Google Glass (first introduced not even two years ago, in June 2012) looks weird to me (right now?), but the social norms around "what's that on your head?' are not as pronounced for certain professionals...

For example:

Firemen already wear helmets.

As do military pilots and soldiers in combat.

Many policemen already put on specialized  devices as part of their uniforms.

And many doctors love gadgets -  my ENT (ear-nose-throat) specialist still uses a head mirror.

And, as Jason Perlow explains in a May 1, 2014 post to ZDNet: "In vertical industries it is much easier to define functional requirements and a market for apps than it is for consumer electronics applications, particularly since you are not necessarily dealing with the issues of app monetization and the advertising that consumer devices would by necessity have to bring along with it in order to justify the application development."

Thanks to Nick DeMartino for the heads up.

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