Google Glass future clouded as some early believers lose faith

Reuters:

Many developers and early Glass users are losing interest in the much-hyped, $1,500 test version of the product: a camera, processor and stamp-sized computer screen mounted to the edge of eyeglass frames. Google Inc itself has pushed back the Glass roll out to the mass market.

While Glass may find some specialized, even lucrative, uses in the workplace, its prospects of becoming a consumer hit in the near future are slim, many developers say.

Of 16 Glass app makers contacted by Reuters, nine said that they had stopped work on their projects or abandoned them, mostly because of the lack of customers or limitations of the device. Three more have switched to developing for business, leaving behind consumer projects.

My 2 cents: If Google Glass was going to grab hold as a consumer product, I think it would already have happened. That said, I think this will turn out to have been a good investment for Google. There are plenty of vertical applications for Google Glass’s heads up display. And there’s still the possibility that Glass can pivot in the consumer space, find another form factor that is friendlier, less threatening.