<\/a><\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n \t\t Google and Samsung hand design duties over to Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to save smartglasses from the ugly-tech trap.<\/p>\n What has the Apple Watch done?<\/p>\n Changed what we wear on our wrists<\/p>\n There\u2019s an often-quoted statistic that the Apple Watch has outsold the entire Swiss watch industry<\/a>, all on its own. It\u2019s mind-boggling, and evidence Apple nailed not only the functionality but also the design of the Apple Watch right from the start.<\/p>\n It forced global watchmakers to evolve. Initially, some looked at joining the smartwatch industry, but eventually realized this wasn\u2019t the right course of action.<\/p>\n Instead, the industry pushed further into luxury, lifestyle, heritage, and individuality to sell non-smart watches.<\/p>\n It\u2019s this industry-changing effect Gurman, and presumably Apple, is referencing when talking about disrupting eyewear, and not just smart eyewear either.<\/p>\n It sounds like Apple wants to make its smartglasses the default option, just like the Apple Watch has become ubiquitous no matter the environment, person, or their socio-economic background.<\/p>\n An industry ripe for disruption<\/p>\n Eyewear isn\u2019t so needy<\/p>\n When the Apple Watch came out, watches were already in a slump.<\/p>\n Few had a reason to wear one because phones told the time, and the recognizable names weren\u2019t as desirable as they are today. At least, not to the people clamoring to buy an Apple Watch when it was released in 2015.<\/p>\n It meant there were a lot of wrists just waiting for a connected watch. It combined the slowly cooling craze of fitness bands with growing social media trends, more reliance on notifications, and features like playing music from our phones.<\/p>\n Gone was any association between watches and stuffy, wealthy old men, and in came wrist wear with instant iPhone cool.<\/p>\n Today, the best smartwatches come in more than one case size, have 24-hour comfort, interchangeable bands, genuinely useful functionality, and a host of attractive watch faces.<\/p>\n Anyone can wear one; it doesn\u2019t have to be on show, and practically everybody will have had some experience wearing a watch, meaning they\u2019re prepared for the look and feel.<\/p>\n Eyewear isn\u2019t the same<\/p>\n And it\u2019s not even close<\/p>\n The eyewear industry isn\u2019t in the same place as the watch industry.<\/p>\n Visit any optician, and the choice of frames is overwhelming. You can pay very little, or absolutely loads for a frame, something that applies to sunglasses and normal glasses, and I don\u2019t think you\u2019d be able to sample all the styles available even if you spent weeks trying.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for normal glasses, it\u2019s probably because you need them to see. Prescription lenses are equally varied, and there\u2019s a considerable difference between cheap and expensive ones.<\/p>\n Every prescription is different, and it needs an expert to tailor it to your requirements.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t need glasses to see, I\u2019ll bet you\u2019ve never set foot in an optician and have bought sunglasses from Sunglasses Hut or somewhere similar.<\/p>\n If you can see without corrective lenses, why would you choose to wear glasses?<\/p>\n If you need to wear glasses, they become part of your personal style. The world sees you in them, probably all the time, so getting the style and fit right is imperative.<\/p>\n Comfort is just as important, and even experienced glasses-wearers can get it wrong once in a while.<\/p>\n For my last prescription change, I chose a different style of glasses. It turned out that while I liked the look, I couldn\u2019t deal with the way they fit on my face. The lenses were also \u201cwrong\u201d for me.<\/p>\n I put up with it for a few months before caving in and completely changing the whole deal.<\/p>\n Choosing glasses with corrective lenses is a lengthy, decision-filled, and expensive process. I don\u2019t want to do it more than I have to.<\/p>\n Wearing glasses is something I\u2019m used to, but I also wouldn\u2019t do it if I didn\u2019t have to. It\u2019s the same reason anyone who can wear contact lenses does so.<\/p>\n Wearing a watch isn\u2019t like wearing glasses<\/p>\n And neither are the buyers<\/p>\n Do you see where I\u2019m going? I don\u2019t know how Apple, even with its vast resources and retail stores, will be able to convince the number of people who eagerly adopted the Apple Watch to do the same with eyewear.<\/p>\n The eyewear industry is thriving. There are thousands of options at all price points. The product needs specialist advice, and weight, style, and fit are considerably more important than with a watch.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not waiting to be disrupted, because glasses are more than numbers on a prescription, getting fit and comfort right can\u2019t be done with a virtual try-on app, and a handful of styles are not enough.<\/p>\n However, the biggest problem, by a long way, is that people voluntarily wear a watch. With eyewear, there\u2019s a split between those who have to wear eyewear to see, and those who don\u2019t.<\/p>\n Convincing either of those groups to choose Apple, Google, or Samsung smartglasses is a totally different situation than suggesting they try wearing a watch again.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t wear glasses to see, ask yourself if you want to put glasses on every day?<\/p>\n If you wear glasses, how likely are you to choose a pair that has a battery to charge, distractions built in, limited designs and lens options, and that you\u2019ll still have to update regularly when your prescription changes?<\/p>\n Gurman says Apple will \u201cuse design to stand out, with oval-shaped cameras, unique colors and multiple frame styles.\u201d<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t enough to disrupt the eyewear industry, even before trying to convince those free from twisted metal and two windows on their faces to give them a try.<\/p>\n Compelling functionality is needed<\/p>\n AI isn\u2019t the answer<\/p>\n A smartwatch can be a very useful addition<\/a> to your mobile life. It\u2019s convenient, incognito, and doesn\u2019t need much attention.<\/p>\n Functionality, particularly around health, has become a true reason to buy one and wear it all the time.<\/p>\n Smartglasses can\u2019t just be a smartwatch in front of your eyes, because why would anyone choose them over a smartwatch?<\/p>\n This is why we\u2019re seeing Meta, Google, and likely Apple lean into AI for smart glasses. Not only as a reason for us to buy them, but also to justify their massive investments.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the hard truth. For most people, AI just isn\u2019t so essential that they need it in front of their eyes all the time. It\u2019s moderately useful at best, and completely pointless at worst.<\/p>\n There are only so many times you need translation or visual search capabilities. If you really must ask AI a question, you can use your phone, smartwatch, laptop, dedicated AI gadget<\/a>, or the AI companion worn around your neck<\/a>.<\/p>\n Constant access to an AI assistant, and all its (many) ways of summarizing and organizing, won\u2019t be enough to sell smartglasses.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not even compelling enough to sell phones, and because it\u2019s Apple Intelligence and not Google Gemini we\u2019re likely talking about, things get even harder for the marketing team.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the inevitable cameras. Used responsibly, they\u2019re fun and engaging, but not a reason to buy smartglasses.<\/p>\n Used irresponsibly, they\u2019re a menace, and the negative attention that already surrounds the technology isn\u2019t going to go away. That\u2019s before the implications of letting any corporation potentially \u201csee\u201d what you\u2019re seeing all the time.<\/p>\n That\u2019s it for smartglasses?<\/p>\n No, but mainstream adoption seems impossible<\/p>\n I like smartglasses. They\u2019re a fascinating and a really exciting segment of wearable technology. I wear glasses all the time to see, so they fit into my life without much adjustment.<\/p>\n However, the choice of looks, fits, and frames is woeful. Choosing one is a compromise in style and comfort, all for limited usefulness.<\/p>\n I\u2019m likely the person who would need the least amount of convincing to give smartglasses a try, but I would never give up my non-smart glasses to wear them full-time.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tGoogle and Samsung\u2019s new smartglasses solve the biggest problem with wearable tech: Looking weird
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