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| Disruptive Technology Force Google Glass examples the force of disruptive technology, true to and increasingly beyond the construct described by Harvard professor, Clayton Christensen. Technologists believe the evolutionary path of the smartphone is being disrupted by Google's newer technology's: similar functionality, lower cost, increased efficiency and other benefits. Each of these traits as explained by Dr. David Thornburg, lead to the obsolescence of the forerunning technology (Laureate Education, 2014a). ............................................................................ |
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Glass has built-in functionality for making calls, taking photos, checking the weather and getting directions which are the same tasks our smartphones enable us to perform. The efficiency of performing those tasks is improved by freeing our hands from holding a screen in the palm of the hands as it rests comfortability in front the eyes. The better performance results between the two devices, as tested by the tech blogs seems to render a toss up based on what's more important to the user. Laptop Magazine, for example, tested based on task performance speed and quality of the renderings (Edadicicco, 2013). From my tallying of the wins and losses seen here, I'm leaning towards the slower but more quality resulting smartphone which was pretty much their verdict as well.
Task
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Google Glass
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Smartphone
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Google Search Results
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W
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L
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Getting Directions
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W -speed, quality
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L
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Taking Pictures
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W-speed
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W-quality
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Making Phone Calls
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W-speed
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W-quality
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Sending Messages via Voice
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Draw-speed
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W-quality
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Sharing Photos
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L
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W-speed, quality
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Checking the Weather
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W-speed quality
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L
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Lower Costs?
With the current $1,500 price of Google Glass being $1,500 lowered costs does not seem to be a disruptive technology characteristic it possesses. But the product is projected according to Topology researcher, Jason Tsai, to level off to level off to 299.00. My higher end Sansung Galaxy Note 3 retailed for 699.00 though I got it for 299.00 with a contract. I planned to skip the 4 and wait to upgrade to the 5 whose specs I've been reading about for a couple of months. It is expected to release this September at $1,200. That's a house payment people. And about that contract...Just under behind Canada, the U.S has the highest cost cell phone plans according to a new report from the New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative (OTI). We must pay a minimum of 59.99 for a single full plan as whereas Hong Kong and Idia pay less than 14.00 (Protalinski, 2010). And of course, there are no hidden fees, but plenty of fully legible ones tacked on.
One would think that if Google glass can cut through the enormous cost we pay for smartphones, they would surely send the devices to the trash bin. That is yet to seen as Gartner reports worldwide device sales will reach 2.5 billion units in 2015. Shipments of premium ultramobiles are also predicted to rise from 37 million shipments to 49 million in 2015 and estimated to climb to 89 million by 2017 (Bolkan, n.d.).
Predictions
I definitely don't see the mobile phone industry needing to begin looking for new jobs, not before 2020 at least. But they will not be able to rest upon their laurels or the currently phenomenal market numbers. They will be perpetually developing the next phone for the ultimate end-user experience and development is not cheap. Google Glass will thrive as its uses and implications become more essential. In the next 10 years, its controversial disruptions to humanity in security and privacy will possibly slow, but not halt its proliferation and penetration in the market and society as a whole. |
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Mobile Phone Industry
Once Google Glass drops its price, all bets are off for the secure position of the smartphone. Glass and wearables in general, are in their infancy. By 2020, the clunky cyborg looking Glass we see today will look very different. I suspect that by 2030, Google will have tackled style design, superior task performance and affordability issues that will increase their market share via greater interest and accessibility to the technology.
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Application Development
Application developers are finding myriad opportunities to connect to Glass and implications for use many area such as health care, like Accenture Technology Labs who focuses on connecting applications to the digital world. They have an amazing proof of concept project with Google class that be seen the YouTube video post on this page. It is touted to revolutionize the health care. Social media will become affected by as well as they will need to find ways to connect with Glass or be left out of an expanding venue.
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Humanity
I also predict significant legal and governmental focus will need to be extended by Google regarding security and privacy likely within the next ten years as David Brin, author of the , "The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Privacy and Freedom?" predicted in 1988. Google will create disruptions in privacy that as he suggests, will cause government to try and legislate Glass (Hu, 2013). With the rapid pace of the technology's development, I surmise the government will not be able to keep up with the implantation of digital lens into the millions of eye glasses and contacts that will be common place likely in next 20 years. We all know how fast our government works.
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More Disruptions
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References
Bolkan, J. (n.d.). Report: Global Device Shipments To Hit 2.5 Billion This Year on Strength of Mobile Phone Sales -- THE Journal. Retrieved July 23, 2015, from http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/07/13/report-global-device-shipments-to-hit-2.5-billion-this-year-on-strength-of-mobile-phone-sales.aspx
Edadicicco, L. (2013, December 12). Google Glass vs. Smartphone: Which is Faster? Retrieved July 23, 2015, from http://blog.laptopmag.com/google-glass-vs-smartphone
Hu, E. (2013, July 11). The Man Who Predicted Google Glass Forecasts The Near Future. Retrieved July 23, 2015, from http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/07/10/200831790/david-brin-predicted-google-glass-predicts-future
Laureate Education (Producer). (2014a). David Thornburg: Disruptive technologies [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Protalinski, E. (2010, December 16). US and Canada have most expensive cell phone plans. Retrieved July 23, 2015, from http://www.techspot.com/news/40700-us-and-canada-have-most-expensive-cell-phone-plans.html
Thought-provoking article, which made me question whether even Google is ready for Glass. Pulling the product off the market when it was in the midst of adoption seemed disruptive to me in another way. Recently, I was involved in a grant reading effort where one school was a high qualifier for funds to employ Google Glass at their school. However, at the end of the session our facilitator noted that it had been brought to their attention that Google Glass was on hold. That was several months ago and for this exercise I noticed they are still keeping consumers in suspense! Perhaps the cyborg-looking glasses were not the most effective approach. One workshop I attended hosted some members from a local school district currently experimenting with Google Glass. They let us try on the glasses and it was an interactive and engaging exercise. However, they noted the battery life was not long enough to last throughout an entire classroom exercise. And now I wonder if they have continued tech support for their expensive purchase, or will be able to continue using this emerged/obsolete technology much longer. That seems to be a major issue with early adopters. I've heard of many schools jumping on the iPad 'bandwagon', purchasing machines without providing training only to find them still in the shipping packages in a storeroom, unused. It seems Google Chromebooks have disrupted the iPad with an inexpensive and effective solution.
ReplyDeleteI agree Sky, I think putting Glass on the market when they did was more than disruptive, it was disappointing. We trust the name Google and the average consumer will not need nor desire to do diligent research or have thousands. of buyers go before them before they purchase a product from a trusted vendor. We should be able to expect that the most vigorous testing and trials has been done before a release in which we can and are marketed to purchase a product.
DeleteI think Google was not ready for Glass nor ready for the public's reaction to Glass. The security and privacy implications should have been researched and taken into consideration to a far greater extent. The legal ramifications are mounting with citations and law suits over distracted driving, copyright infringement and privacy expectations (Davis, 2014). Google glass wearers who enter public restaurants and other venues have prompted the coining of the moniker, "Glassholes". The Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theatre Owners officially banned the use of Glass and other wearable recording devices in the cinema as part of an updated “anti-theft policy” (NBC, 2014).
Back to the table to put out this raging fire might not be enough.
References
It's Official: Google Glass Is Banned in Movie Theaters - NBC News. (2014, October 29). Retrieved July 26, 2015.
Davis, W. (2014, March 1). Google Glass is already causing legal experts to see problems.From http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/google_glass_is_already_causing_legal_experts_to_see_problems
I don't know about you, but I get so frustrated when updated versions of phones come out and they just keep getting bigger and bigger. Soon, we'll have a full sized tablet for the iPhone 10. I really hope Google Glass can be revamped with a longer battery life, better graphics and display, more apps, and a smaller device that can be placed onto reading glasses rather than having to buy a pair of glasses with the Glass device attached to it. As I shared with Sky, the creator of the iPod is trying to revamp the technology in hopes of saving it (Heisler, 2015). It would be nice if we could go back to actually interacting and experiencing the physical world around us with our eyes facing forward rather than down and glued to our phones.
ReplyDeleteReference:
Heisler, Y. (2015, July 25). IPod creator Tony Fadell thinks he can save Google Glass. Retrieved July 26, 2015, from http://bgr.com/2015/07/25/google-glass-tony-fadell/
I personally love the bigger versions. I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and wouldn't mind about another inch more. It is a total work horse for me . One that I can see.
DeleteBut I hate new versions that haven't tested enough before release. They need more focus groups equipped with the technology. Google Glass sales were actually halted in January (BBC, 2015) for redesign. That's pretty ballsy after putting them on the market at 1,500. Why didn't they just give a large number to a select group of people and field test them on the users and the public? Luxottica, the Italian eyewear maker that owns Ray-Ban and Oakley, is working with Google to design a new version of Glass, its CEO (o'Connor, 2015).
I don't even think how ugly they are is the big problem. Though that's pretty big. Its how noticeable they are and offense to people. They are calling people who wear them in public"Glassholes". Unless they become indistinguishable from regular eye glasses, they are never going to be accepted fully by people not wishing to be subject to being recorded.
References
Google Glass sales halted but firm says kit is not dead - BBC News. (2015).From http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30831128
O'Connor, F. (2015, April 24). New version of Google Glass to get makeover from Italian eyewear maker Luxottica. From http://www.pcworld.com/article/2914912/italian-eyewear-maker-helping-to-design-new-version-of-google-glass.html
Monica,
ReplyDeleteI truly liked your take on the obsolesces of the smart phone vs. Google Glass technology. "One would think that if Google glass can cut through enormous cost we pay for smart phones it would surely send the devices to the trash bin (Knuckles, 2015, para. 4)." I also think your predictions are accurate as Google Glass has gone quite hush hush about future endeavors. According to Google (2015), "Thanks for exploring with us. The journey doesn't end here. You'll start to see future versions of Glass when they're ready (for now, no peeking)." I, for one, am extremely intrigued about the medical applications.
References
Google. (2015). Glass. Google. Retrieved July 27, 2015 from http://www.google.com/glass/start/
Knuckles, M. (2015). Google Glass. Blogger. Retrieved July 27, 2015 from http://edtechknowledgeable.blogspot.com/