Google made a lot of announcements in its marathon keynote to kick off Google I/O on Wednesday, but its most buzzed-about product was almost a no-show at the event. Google Glass barely got a mention, even though this is the first I/O where the tiny wearable computer is actually in developers' hands.
The glaring omission didn't stop Glass from stealing the show for the rest of the conference, though. Day 2 of I/O was packed with sessions on Glass, including one where official Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr apps made their debut. The sessions themselves garnered the kind of lineups usually reserved Lady Gaga tickets. Many developers were walking around wearing Glass, but it was the looks of jealousy from the Glass-less that underscored just how much interest there is in Google's head-mounted gadget.
That interest is now coming from even more circles, including the U.S. government, and rightly so. After my experience at I/O, I'm more convinced than ever that Glass — and products like it — won't just be a fad. Even when I was within a couple of blocks from the conference in tech-heavy San Francisco, people were stopping me to ask me about Glass, usually with enthusiasm.
If you search the hashtag #throughglass on Twitter, you can see a fire hose of content being shared through glass, and even more on Google+. Developers at the conference with the units couldn't shut up about them. About the only one not talking about Glass — at least in a major way — is Google.
That's weird. Forget those cool new maps; Glass is Google's big breakthrough gadget that everyone wants to know about. I suppose Google wants developers to take the Glass ball for a while, preferring to sit back and watch what emerges from its foray into the wearables space. That makes a little sense.
It's also the wrong thing to do right now. Glass is here, and it's the most-talked-about gadget of the year. It's impossible for Glass to "lay low." Worse, Google's muted approach to it at I/O lets others lead the conversation. While developers are excited, a whole lot of people are concerned.
From privacy advocates to social commentators screaming "Glasshole!" (it's happened to me), Glass detractors are starting to speak louder (or their voices just seem louder) now that Google's leaned back. Instead, it should be getting out ahead of the conversation on Glass, reminding people of its potential benefits, and that virtually the same privacy/social concerns already exist with smartphones.
It's easy to wrap yourself in a conference of like-minded geeks, all excited about your new toy. But Google shouldn't forget that there's a whole world of onlookers who don't really understand Glass and what it can do. They're curious and maybe even excited, but considering how often Glass wearers hear the question "Are you looking at porn?" some serious educating is in order.
Having used Glass for the past few weeks, I can say the potential of wearable technology is real, but I worry that Google's unorthodox approach to Glass' release, debuting a sort of "beta" months before the consumer product, might inadvertently let detractors drive the conversation.
Google Glass was a showstopper last year, and it's the show this year. But this is a show in need of a host. Google, it's time to step up to the mic.
Image by Pete Pachal, Mashable
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