Tim Cook told you so: Google Glass would flop

Tim Cook, Apple CEO, seems to have known about Google Glass Explorer becoming somewhat of a flopped wearable device, which sounds a bit odd. Google Glass didn’t exactly flop, because the Explorer project was advertised as a feedback program that would gather users’ impressions and suggestions about the wearable device and use those to perfect Google Glass. The project was pulled a few weeks ago, which doesn’t mean that Google is no longer working on the project, rather it means they are moving on to the next level of development which should end up with a finite product that is fit for consumers.

Still, it seems Tim Cook is rather pleased with the apparent flop of Google Glass. The man does have a point, though, as he said to The New Yorker that Google Glass looked obtrusive. All of the augmented reality-focused wearables on the market are in fact rather obnoxious in design, but the technology just hasn’t come as far as to allow for development of a completely unobtrusive headset that wouldn’t give away the technology. Tim Cook’s philosophy about technology is that it should be kept in the background, which is what the Apple Watch is aiming for. That’s rather difficult, as the Apple Watch itself is pretty noticeably “geeky” to be fair.

The Apple Watch is set to launch in April 2015 and Tim Cook reiterated that Google Glass and wearables in general, are not as advanced as to be worn so openly without raising suspicion around the masses. According to Tim Cook, the obvious place for a wearable is the wrist, which seems like a fair assumption of the industry at the moment. Still, the wearable market is constantly expanding, and the purpose of head-worn technology is evident when it comes to the workplace.

Sony’s SmartEyeglass has just gone up for pre-order and the Japanese company came through with a device that is even more obnoxious than Google Glass. Still, there is a niche for these kinds of devices, which is the workplace at the moment. Augmented reality is best used in practical ways, like building, designing, repairing and so on. Sony made that target audience clear in their press release and proposed to developers to create apps in this particular field. That might have been Google’s mistake with Google Glass. Google marketed Glass as something that would encompass everything that has to do with technology, such as social media, conversations, communication, entertainment and workplace augmented reality. But the company might have bitten off more than it could chew. Still, Google Glass is moving on, no matter what Tim Cook thinks.