re: Google Glass essentially flopped...

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I've seen a few people here spin what seems to be the latest misstep by Google as something that was always viewed with "the long run" in mind.

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It's a goddamned computer you wear on your head. How could that be anything but a "long run" project? No misstep, no spin necessary.

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Why would you hype Glass this much initially only to shelve it and tal about pivoting your effort and somehow say this was always the goal?

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Integrating technology deeper into our lives has always been the goal, with Glass as a first step. Why are you making up this false narrative to shoot down?

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I mean, Google will learn a ton from this. They have so much data and experience from the process it will undoubtedly help them down the road in many ways.

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Yeah, that's what they do.

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But why are people acting like this is some win for Google?

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Who is acting like it's a win? It is still very early in the game.

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But I'm open to someone convincing me.

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I don't know exactly what you want to be convinced of, but here goes nothing.

Surely you agree that Google is a data-driven company. How would you suggest they acquire data about a market that does not exist yet, if not by creating a product and putting it out there? Early PDA's in the 90s didn't exactly sell like hotcakes, but they sparked an industry that led to today's smartphones. They created a set of goals for the component technologies to work toward. Those early products were what was possible with the tech of the day. Batteries, touchscreens, cell networks, efficient processors... everything improved to the point that smartphones could really take hold. Where would the industry be without the early pioneers creating what we might call "flops"? Who knows? I look at Glass the same way. There is little doubt in my mind that we are progressing toward tech that gets information to us faster and faster. Short of uploading it directly to our brains, it's hard to imagine a faster way than having it right in front of your face. So Google created a product that did just that. Now they know what worked, what didn't, what obstacles need to be overcome, and they have an idea of what techs need to improve, and possibly what as yet unthought of techs may need to be developed.

So where is the misstep? Should Google be embarrassed by Glass?