Over the weekend, Google (finally) invited me to be a Glass Explorer. The catch: exploration Glass-style costs $1500.
Glass is no longer quite the science project it was at the start; the fit and finish appears to be smoother, as does the software. But to what end? Yes, Glass is cool in a dorky sort of way. I don’t think I could carry off wearing one in a non-ironic kind of way, and irony is key even in the non-hip part of Brooklyn that’s HQ for WTI. I’ve seen people wearing them and wondered why, but never in a “Oh, cool!” kind of way. I’m more likely to say “Oh, dork,” than “Oh, cool.”
Besides, I wear prescription lenses. This version of Glass still doesn’t accommodate them.
None of which is a dealbreaker, actually. I’ve carried and worn more than my share of dork-wear over the years. I don’t think any of it went on my face, though.
And $1500? I’m willing to believe that Google is about breaking even on it, but that’s a lot of money. For instance, it’s:
- most of a week of business travel, if I’m thrifty
- between 1 and 3 conference passes, depending on the conference
- about 200 4GB USB drive slap bands or 4000 pens imprinted with the Wearable Tech Insider Logo
- 1 season ticket to a major league baseball stadium
- 1 MacBook Pro
- A total of 10 Fitbit Force, Nike Fuelbands, or Pebbles
- Lord knows how many interesting and relevant Kickstarter or IndieGogo projects.
So thanks, Google. Appreciate the thought, and I know that I’d asked to be kept informed. At this point in the product cycle, though, I’ll be exploring something else.