Google CEO Eric Schmidt Says Glass Critics Are “Afraid of Change,” But The Market Will Come Around
Google Chairman Eric Schmidt had some interesting tings to say about Google Glass after trying on a pair for himself. He described talking out loud to Google Glass as "the weirdest thing," and also the most "impressive" aspect of the project. Schmidt is a high level Google guy, however, and we would expect nothing less than optimism. But will consumers react positively to what's essentially a voice-activated HUD? And if it becomes popular, will it wreck human interaction as we know it?
"The proposals that we’ve seen of applications are fantastic," Schmidt told a group at Harvard University, according to Xconomy. "So let’s just see. Give us a little bit of time. Let’s not pre-judge a product which is just this week getting to developers. Let’s give it a little bit of time to see what human ingenuity around the globe can do."
Schmidt said that Google is listening to criticisms along the way, "but criticisms are inevitably from people who are afraid of change or who have not figured out that there will be an adaption of society to it."
One of the biggest hurdles Google faces in selling people on Google Glass is convincing them that the technology is worth any potential privacy trade offs. Anyone wearing a Google Glass headset can take pictures and videos or record audio, and there are a number of scenarios where that could be problematic. Google could try to implement built-in safeguards, but it won't be able to stop a creeper from recording kids in a park or walking into a restroom, to offer just two examples. And even if there are safeguards, rooting the headset, as has already been done, could sidestep them.
Still, Schmidt has a point. It's far to early to let fear rule the day. For every criticism, there's probably five or ten things that are really exciting about Google Glass.
"The proposals that we’ve seen of applications are fantastic," Schmidt told a group at Harvard University, according to Xconomy. "So let’s just see. Give us a little bit of time. Let’s not pre-judge a product which is just this week getting to developers. Let’s give it a little bit of time to see what human ingenuity around the globe can do."
Schmidt said that Google is listening to criticisms along the way, "but criticisms are inevitably from people who are afraid of change or who have not figured out that there will be an adaption of society to it."
One of the biggest hurdles Google faces in selling people on Google Glass is convincing them that the technology is worth any potential privacy trade offs. Anyone wearing a Google Glass headset can take pictures and videos or record audio, and there are a number of scenarios where that could be problematic. Google could try to implement built-in safeguards, but it won't be able to stop a creeper from recording kids in a park or walking into a restroom, to offer just two examples. And even if there are safeguards, rooting the headset, as has already been done, could sidestep them.
Still, Schmidt has a point. It's far to early to let fear rule the day. For every criticism, there's probably five or ten things that are really exciting about Google Glass.
